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Kotomora

魋

bear

Strokes18

Readings

On'yomi

  • タイ
  • ズイ
  • ツイ

Kun'yomi

—

Meaning

魋 centers on a bear, specifically a kind of bear. The meaning is narrow and concrete, referring to the animal itself.

Study

Etymology

魋 combines 鬼 (demon, spirit) with 隹 (short-tailed bird). The exact historical reason for this combination to mean 'bear' is uncertain; it may be a phono-semantic compound where 隹 contributed the sound, or it could be a character created for a specific type of bear.

Meaning mnemonic

A demon-like creature (鬼) with the bulk of a bird (隹) but actually a bear: imagine a fearsome bear spirit that lurks in the mountains.

Reading mnemonic

For タイ, picture a bear tying a knot with its big paws: tie -> タイ, and the bear is the 魋.