字の旅3,000 years in four forms
Oracle bone · ShangShang · c. 1200 BCE甲337 (商)
Oracle bone and small seal: Academia Sinica 小學堂, CC0. Bronze: Wikimedia Commons, traced from Academia Sinica, CC0. Today’s form: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The oracle bone, bronze and seal stages show 衣, not 衤 itself.
部首Radical · in Textiles, Plants & Food
衤 clothes, garment (side form)
ころもへん koromohen
5 strokesRadical of 10 kanjiPart of 11
Origin · sourced
Pictogram象形
Pictogram (象形) Outline of the chest, upper clothing.
Source: Wiktionary, 衣 (rev. 92775687), the entry for the full form, CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“Wear your story! This radical brings the world of tailoring, fashion, and social roles to its characters. When it sits on the left, think of the specific items of clothing we use (sleeves, pockets, shirts), the processes of garment-making, and the symbolic "layers" that define our place in society. It is the radical of the tailor's shop, the dresser's mirror, and the public image.”
Where it sits in a kanji
Indicates specific clothing items, tailoring and sewing, repairing garments, abundance (plenty of clothes), and the social status associated with dress.
What it grows into
- 裕abundantユウ
谷sound + 衤
Folk etymology claims 谷 to represent space in the clothes.
Phono-semantic compound · Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 補supplementホ · おぎなう
衤 + 甫sound
Phono-semantic compound · Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 被incurヒ · こうむる
衤 + 皮sound
Phono-semantic compound · Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Every kanji with 衤 as its radical
All 10 kanji