鹻
impure carbonate of sodium of natron
Strokes21
Readings
On'yomi
- カン
- ケン
Kun'yomi
- しおけ
Meaning
鹻 refers to an impure form of sodium carbonate, specifically natron, a naturally occurring mineral salt.
Study
Etymology
鹻 combines 鹵 (salt) with 兼, which likely contributes the sound. The character was created to name a specific impure salt substance.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 鹵 is the salt radical, and the right side 兼 looks like a hand holding two stalks. Imagine a hand mixing impure salt crystals together: 鹻 is the impure sodium carbonate that results.
Reading mnemonic
For カン, picture a can of impure salt: can -> カン, and the can is filled with the natron salt.