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Kotomora

符

token, sign, mark, tally, charm

JLPTN2StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes11

Readings

On'yomi

  • フ

Kun'yomi

—

Meaning

符 centers on a physical object that serves as proof or identification: a token, tally, or mark that verifies something. The charm sense extends this to an object believed to carry protective or magical verification.

Most common words using 符

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Study

Etymology

符 combines 竹 (bamboo) and 付 (attach). Historically, bamboo strips were split and matched as tallies or tokens, with 付 suggesting the idea of attaching or matching pieces.

Meaning mnemonic

Bamboo 竹 strips attached 付 together as matching halves: a tally or token used as a sign or charm.

Reading mnemonic

For フ, imagine a bamboo tally with a big 'F' marked on it as a sign: 'F' -> フ.