磐
rock, crag, cliff, wall (in a mine)
Readings
On'yomi
- バン
- ハン
Kun'yomi
- いわ
Nanori
- いわお
- わ
Meaning
磐 centers on a massive, immovable rock formation: a crag, cliff, or solid rock face. The mining wall sense is a specific application of a large exposed rock surface.
Most common words using 磐
- 常磐ときわ
everlasting; eternal; unchanged
- 常磐線じょうばんせん
Jōban line
- ジュビロ磐田ジュビロいわた
Jubilo Iwata (professional football club)
- 磐越西線ばんえつさいせん
Ban'etsu West Line
- 磐城いわき
Iwaki (former province located in the central and eastern parts of present-day Fukushima and southern Miyagi prefectures)
- 常磐会学園大学ときわかいがくえんだいがく
Tokiwakai Gakuen University
- 常磐大学ときわだいがく
Tokiwa University
- 常磐御柳ときわぎょりゅう
beefwood (Casuarina equisetifolia)
- 常磐木ときわぎ
evergreen tree
- 常磐津ときわず
style of jōruri narrative used for kabuki dances
- 常磐津節ときわずぶし
style of jōruri narrative used for kabuki dances
- 常磐満作ときわまんさく
Chinese fringe flower (Loropetalum chinense); loropetalum
- 常磐短期大学じょうばんたんきだいがく
Tokiwa Junior College
- 常磐黄櫨ときわはぜ
Japanese mazus (Mazus pumilus)
- 磐境いわさか
shrine
- 磐座いわくら
dwelling place of a deity (usu. in reference to a large rock)
Study
Etymology
磐 combines 般 (which may contribute a sound like ハン or バン) with 石 (stone), suggesting a large rock or boulder. The exact historical role of 般 is uncertain, but the phono-semantic structure is plausible.
Meaning mnemonic
A huge stone (石) sits under a boat-like shape (般), like a massive rock that could anchor a ship. This is the immovable crag or cliff.
Reading mnemonic
For バン, imagine a van trying to drive over a giant rock: van -> バン, but the rock is too big and stops it.