漢字Kanji · in Nature & Elements
解: unravel, notes
Also: key, explanation, understanding, untie, undo, solve, answer, cancel, absolve, explain, minute
角 carries the meaning · 刀 and 牛 are drawn in
Five readings, and the words that use each
カイkai · on'yomi · in compounds
- 解決するかいけつするsettle, solve
- 解散するかいさんするbreak up
- 理解するりかいするunderstand
- 誤解するごかいするmisunderstand
- 分解するぶんかいするdisassemble
- 弁解するべんかいするjustify
- 和解するわかいするreconcile
- 了解するりょうかいするgive consent
ゲge · on'yomi
- 解熱剤げねつざいmedicine for a fever
とくtoku · kun'yomi · on its own
- 解くとくsolve [v.t.]
とかすtokasu · kun'yomi
- 解かすとかすmelt [v.t.]
とけるtokeru · kun'yomi
- 解けるとけるmelt, loosen [v.i.]
Also read ほどく, ほぐす, わかる, さとる, with no example words in our sources. Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.
Where it comes from
Origin · sourced
Ideogrammic compound (會意)角 horn + 刀 knife + 牛 cow
A knife separates a horn from a cow, i.e. “cut up (an ox)”.
Source: Wiktionary, 解 (rev. 93474726), CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“Horn (角) + knife (刀) + cow (牛). To use a "knife" to separate the "horns" of a "cow"—the literal image of "untieing" a complex problem to reach an "understanding."”
Connections
In ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · jiě
Same form: 解 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).
- Simplified
- 解 mainland China, Singapore
- Traditional
- 解 Taiwan, Hong Kong
Pinyin jiě most common reading
Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.