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Kotomora

般

carrier, carry, all, general, sort, kind

JLPTN2StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 1,000Strokes10

Readings

On'yomi

  • ハン

Kun'yomi

—

Meaning

般 centers on the idea of conveying or transporting something, which extends to the notion of a general category or kind that carries common traits. The meanings 'carrier', 'carry', 'all', 'general', 'sort', and 'kind' all stem from this underlying concept of movement and classification.

Most common words using 般

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Etymology

般 originally depicted a boat (舟) being turned or moved, possibly with a tool (殳), conveying the idea of transport or rotation. Over time, it also came to mean 'general' or 'all' through the concept of something that carries or encompasses.

Meaning mnemonic

A boat (舟) being steered with a pole (殳) carries goods across the water. This act of carrying extends to the idea of a general category that carries common traits.

Reading mnemonic

For ハン, imagine a hand (ハン) carrying a boat across the water: hand -> ハン, and the boat carries everything.