颱
typhoon
Strokes14
Readings
On'yomi
- タイ
Kun'yomi
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Meaning
颱 centers on a violent tropical storm: a typhoon. The meaning is specific to this weather phenomenon.
Study
Etymology
颱 combines 風 (wind) with 台, which likely contributes the sound and may suggest a raised, swirling mass. The character was created to represent a typhoon.
Meaning mnemonic
The wind radical 風 wraps around 台, like a powerful storm swirling around a raised platform. Picture a typhoon spinning around a central eye.
Reading mnemonic
For タイ, imagine a typhoon tying everything in knots: tie -> タイ, and the wind ties the world into a storm.