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Kotomora

蚫

abalone, dried fish, surname

Strokes11

Readings

On'yomi

  • ホウ

Kun'yomi

  • あわび

Meaning

蚫 centers on the abalone, a type of sea snail valued as food. The dried fish and surname meanings are specific applications: dried abalone as a preserved food, and a family name likely derived from the creature or its association.

Study

Etymology

蚫 combines 虫 (insect/creature) with 包, which likely contributes the sound ホウ. The character was created to represent the abalone, a shellfish, using the creature radical and a phonetic component.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side 虫 suggests a small creature, and the right side 包 looks like a wrapped package. Imagine an abalone as a sea creature wrapped in its own shell, like a natural package.

Reading mnemonic

For ホウ, picture a whole abalone being served: whole -> ホウ, and the abalone is the whole package.