纎
fine, delicate, minute, graceful
Strokes21
Readings
On'yomi
- セン
Kun'yomi
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Meaning
纎 centers on extreme thinness and refinement: something fine, delicate, minute, or graceful. The meanings all point to a quality of being slender, subtle, or elegantly small.
Study
Etymology
纎 is the traditional form of 繊. It combines 糸 (thread) with 韯, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of something slender or fine. The modern simplified form 繊 replaces the right side with a more compact shape.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 糸 is thread, and the right side 韯 looks like a complex, delicate structure. Imagine a single fine thread woven into an intricate, graceful pattern.
Reading mnemonic
For セン, picture a fine thread so thin it looks like a single cent: cent -> セン, and the thread is as delicate as a tiny coin.