蓺
art, talent, ability, craft
Strokes14
Readings
On'yomi
- ゲイ
Kun'yomi
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Meaning
蓺 centers on cultivated skill: art, talent, ability, or craft. It refers to something developed through practice and dedication.
Study
Etymology
蓺 is an older form of 藝 (art, skill). It combines 艹 (grass) with 埶, which likely contributed the sound and the idea of planting or cultivating, extended to cultivating skills.
Meaning mnemonic
The grass top 艹 suggests something growing, and the lower part 埶 looks like a person tending a plant. Picture carefully cultivating a bonsai tree: that patient skill is art and talent.
Reading mnemonic
For ゲイ, imagine a geisha practicing her art: gei -> ゲイ, and her cultivated talent matches the kanji's meaning.