lapis lazuli
瑠 centers on the deep blue gemstone lapis lazuli. It is used almost exclusively in the compound 瑠璃 (るり) for lapis lazuli or a glassy blue glaze.
瑠 is a phono-semantic compound: the jewel radical 王 (玉) gives the meaning of a precious stone, while 留 provides the sound ル. The character was created specifically for the word 瑠璃 (lapis lazuli).
The jewel radical 王 (jewel) beside 留 suggests a precious stone with a ル sound. Picture a king (王) holding a deep blue lapis lazuli stone that stays (留) in his treasury forever.
For ル, imagine a room (ルーム) filled with lapis lazuli treasures: room -> ル, and the jewel radical 王 marks it as a precious stone.
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lapis lazuli
jōruri; type of dramatic recitation accompanied by a shamisen (associated with Japanese puppet theater)
Japanese puppet theatre in which recited narrative and dialog is accompanied by a shamisen (forerunner of bunraku)
beryl
blue-and-white flycatcher (Cyanoptila cyanomelana)
Siberian blue robin (Luscinia cyane)
Omphalodes japonica (species of flowering plant related to borage)
Japanese puppet theatre
jōruri reciter
cream rises to the top; great talent will stand out anywhere; lapis lazuli and crystals shine when lit up
cream rises to the top; great talent will stand out anywhere; you realize what things are lapis lazuli and crystal when they are lit up
superb blue-wren (Malurus cyaneus); superb fairywren; blue wren
nemophila (Nemophila menziesii); baby blue-eyes
Lidth's jay (Garrulus lidthi)
Asian fairy bluebird (Irena puella)
blue-glazed roof tile
blue admiral (species of nymphalid butterfly, Kaniska canace)
scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)
gold-ribbon grouper (species of fish, Aulacocephalus temmincki)
lapis lazuli blue; bright blue; azure