蔽
cover, shade, mantle, capsize, be ruined
Readings
On'yomi
- ヘイ
- ヘツ
- フツ
Kun'yomi
- おお.う
- おお.い
Meaning
蔽 centers on covering or concealing something from view, like a shade or mantle. The less common senses of capsizing or being ruined extend from the idea of being overwhelmed or covered over by disaster.
Most common words using 蔽
- 隠蔽いんぺい
concealment; hiding; covering up; suppression
- 遮蔽しゃへい
shielding; sheltering; screening; shading; masking
- 掩蔽えんぺい
cover; concealment; masking; screening
- 情報隠蔽じょうほういんぺい
information hiding
- 掩蔽壕えんぺいごう
bunker; covered trench; dugout
- 遮蔽物しゃへいぶつ
shelter; cover; screen; shield; obstruction; defilade
- 隠蔽子いんぺいし
suppressor
- 隠蔽工作いんぺいこうさく
(creating) a cover-up
- 隠蔽色いんぺいしょく
cryptic coloration (colouration); camouflage
Study
Etymology
蔽 combines 艹 (grass) with 敝, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of covering or concealing. The exact historical development of 敝 is uncertain, but the overall structure suggests hiding something under grass or vegetation.
Meaning mnemonic
Grass (艹) covers over the lower part (敝), like a thick mantle of vegetation hiding what lies beneath. This covering can shade, conceal, or even capsize and ruin what is hidden.
Reading mnemonic
For ヘイ, imagine a heavy hay bale covering the grass: hay -> ヘイ, and the hay shades everything underneath.