豣
pig of 3 years
Strokes13
Readings
On'yomi
- ケン
Kun'yomi
- いのこ
Meaning
豣 refers specifically to a pig that is three years old. It is a rare, specialized character with no broader conceptual center beyond this age-specific animal meaning.
Study
Etymology
豣 combines 豕 (pig) with 幵, which likely provides the sound. The character was used in classical Chinese to denote a pig of a specific age, but the exact historical development is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 豕 is a pig. The right side 幵 looks like two horizontal lines and a vertical, like counting marks. Imagine a farmer marking three years on a tally next to a pig to remember its age: 豣 is a three-year-old pig.
Reading mnemonic
For ケン, picture Ken the farmer counting his three-year-old pig: Ken -> ケン, and the pig is exactly three years old.