袂
sleeve, foot (of hill), edge
Readings
On'yomi
- ベイ
- ケツ
Kun'yomi
- たまと
- たもと
Meaning
袂 centers on a sleeve, especially the part that hangs down. The extended meanings of a foot of a hill or an edge come from the image of a sleeve-like hanging or projecting part.
Most common words using 袂
- 袂たもと
sleeve (esp. of a kimono); pocket of sleeve
- 分袂ぶんべい
parting (from someone)
- 袂の露たもとのつゆ
tears on the sleeves (of one's kimono); weeping copiously
- 袂を分かつたもとをわかつ
to part (from); to part company (with); to split (with); to break off relations (with)
- 袂を絞るたもとをしぼる
to shed many tears; to weep; to wring dry one's sleeve (which has been soaked by tears)
- 袂を連ねるたもとをつらねる
to do in unison; to do en masse
- 袂糞たもとくそ
dust, etc. that gathers in the bottoms of sleeves (esp. in Japanese traditional clothing)
- 連袂れんべい
doing in unison; doing together; doing en masse
Study
Etymology
袂 combines the clothing radical 衤 with the phonetic component 夬, which likely contributed the sound. The character originally referred to a sleeve.
Meaning mnemonic
The clothing radical 衤 on the left hints at fabric, and the right side 夬 looks like a hand reaching out of a sleeve. Picture a long, flowing sleeve hanging down from a robe.
Reading mnemonic
For ベイ, imagine a sleeve so long it drags on the ground like a bay leaf trailing behind: bay -> ベイ, and the sleeve sweeps the floor.