杵
wooden pestle
Readings
On'yomi
- ショ
- ソ
Kun'yomi
- きね
Nanori
- き
Meaning
杵 centers on a wooden pestle, a tool used for pounding or grinding in a mortar.
Most common words using 杵
- 杵きね
mallet; pestle; pounder
- 杵柄きねづか
mallet handle
- 昔取った杵柄むかしとったきねづか
skill learned in one's former days; using one's experience from the past
- 杵しょ
vajra (mystical weapon in Hinduism and Buddhism)
- 瓊瓊杵尊ににぎのみこと
Ninigi no Mikoto (Japanese deity; grandson of Amaterasu, great grandfather of Emperor Jimmu)
- 金剛杵こんごうしょ
vajra (mystical weapon in Hinduism and Buddhism)
Study
Etymology
杵 combines 木 (tree/wood) with 午, which likely contributes the sound and may represent a pestle shape. Together they indicate a wooden pestle.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side is a tree 木, and the right side 午 looks like a pestle with a handle. Picture a wooden pestle carved from a tree, ready to pound.
Reading mnemonic
For ショ, imagine a show where a chef uses a wooden pestle to pound ingredients: show -> ショ, and the pestle is the star of the show.