稜
angle, edge, corner, power, majesty
Readings
On'yomi
- リョウ
- ロウ
Kun'yomi
- いつ
- かど
Meaning
稜 centers on a sharp, projecting line where surfaces meet: an edge, corner, or angle. The extended senses of power and majesty come from the imposing, sharp presence of such edges, like the commanding ridge of a mountain.
Most common words using 稜
- 稜りょう
edge; angle
- 稜線りょうせん
ridgeline; lines of a mountain ridge
- 五稜郭ごりょうかく
five-sided fortification
- 三稜鏡さんりょうきょう
prism
- 五稜堡ごりょうほ
five-sided fort
- 山稜さんりょう
mountain ridge
- 岩稜がんりょう
ridge of a cliff; rock ridge
- 御稜威みいつ
power (of the Emperor); Emperor's might
- 星稜女子短大せいりょうじょしたんだい
Seiryō Women's Junior College
- 気骨稜々きこつりょうりょう
(a person with) strong moral fiber (backbone, determination)
- 稜堡りょうほ
bastion
- 稜威言別いつのことわき
Notes on the Songs of the Kojiki and the Nihonshoki (by Tachibana Moribe, 1850)
- 稜威道別いつのちわき
The Parting Ways of Power (by Tachibana Moribe, 1844)
- 稜角りょうかく
corner; sharp corner
- 金沢星稜大学かなざわせいりょうだいがく
Kanazawa Seiryo University
Study
Etymology
稜 combines 禾 (grain) with 夌, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of a raised ridge or edge. The grain component may relate to the sharp edges of rice plants or the angular shape of grain husks, but the exact historical development is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
Picture a rice plant (禾) with sharp, angular edges on its stalks and leaves, combined with the imposing ridge-like shape of 夌. Together they form a sharp corner or edge that commands attention.
Reading mnemonic
For リョウ, imagine a sharp ridge (稜) that reminds you of a lion's (ライオン) majestic mane, but focus on the 'ryo' sound: think of a 'ryo' (a traditional Japanese coin) balanced on its edge, showing its sharp corner. Ryo -> リョウ.