歔
cry
Strokes16
Readings
On'yomi
- キョ
Kun'yomi
- すすりな.く
Meaning
歔 centers on crying or sobbing, specifically the act of shedding tears or expressing grief audibly.
Most common words using 歔
Study
Etymology
歔 combines 虚 (empty, void) with 欠 (open mouth, lack), suggesting an outpouring of breath or emotion from emptiness, associated with sobbing or crying.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 虚 suggests a hollow, empty feeling, and the right side 欠 shows a person with an open mouth. Imagine someone overcome by emptiness, mouth open as they cry out.
Reading mnemonic
For キョ, picture a person crying out in a kyo-kyo voice, like a high-pitched sob: kyo -> キョ, echoing from the hollow 虚.