wait

The kanji 待 is made up of the components 彳, 土, and 寸. Inside 待, you can see the kanji 寺, right? 寺 carries the meaning of holding something and remaining in that state—being stopped. 彳 is the “gyōninben” radical, which represents a road, and it depicts the image of someone’s feet stopping along the way while holding something in their hand.

piece

With イ, 口, and 古, the kanji 個 is formed. イ is said to represent the shape of a person seen from the side; it’s also known as the “ninben,” the person radical. The character 固 next to イ conveys the meaning of a hard helmet. In other words, from a strong, independent person comes 個, which carries the meaning of “one person” or “individual.”

hundred million

How far can you say the digits of numbers? There’s an impressive kanji used to represent large numbers: 億 (oku, one hundred million). 億 is made up of the components イ, 立, 日, and 心. But 億 is used for more than just place values in numbers. Written as 億る, it can also be read oshihakaru, meaning to “guess” or “suppose,” reflecting a person’s feelings. The character 億 is composed of the person radical ninben (亻) and the character 意, which carries meanings related to thinking or the heart/mind. For that reason, the original sense of 億 is connected to the feeling of thinking various things about people.

chant

The kanji made up of two “mouth” (口) and “sun/day” (日) components is 唱. It is said to come from the image of opening the mouth to produce sound. Isn’t 唱 a kanji we use in everyday life? At school, when everyone sings together it’s called 合唱 (chorus), and among songs used in school education there are the Monbushō shōka (Ministry of Education songs). Also, saying an incantation is expressed with the verb 唱える (to chant/intonate).

noon

Daytime, the time when many people are active, is written with a character composed of the elements for “sun,” “measure,” and “one.” If you break the character for daytime down, you might wonder, “Why do we use this character?” The origin of the character for daytime comes from an associative compound. An associative compound combines the meanings of existing characters to create a new character with its own meaning. The character for daytime is formed from the sun and an older character that means to divide or separate. Among the periods of time divided by the sun’s rising and setting, it represents the span when the sun is above the horizon.

strong

The kanji 強 (tsuyoi, meaning “strong”) is made up of the components for bow (弓), mu (ム), and insect (虫). Have you ever wondered why the character for “strong” contains an insect? There are several theories about its origin, but one explanation is that combining 弓 and ム forms the character 弘, which is said to depict a bow without a string. The 虫 component represents tegusu thread made from the secretions of silkworms or certain moth larvae. Because tegusu thread is strong, the character came to be used with the modern meaning of “strong.”

man

Combine the kanji 田 (ta) and 力 (chikara), and you get the kanji 男 (otoko, “man”). Both 田 and 力 are taught in the first grade of elementary school, and 男 is also learned in first grade. 田 represents a rice field, and 力 is said to depict the farming tool, the plow. There’s also another theory: since 力 is read as “chikara” (strength), it can be interpreted as “from blood” (chi kara), evoking tensed muscles—an image of doing hard labor in the rice fields. Thus, hard physical work equals “man,” giving the character its meaning.

sound

With the combination of “立” (stand) and “日” (sun), the kanji 音 (sound) is completed. 音 is a kanji learned in the first grade of elementary school. The origin of the kanji comes from 言 and 一. It seems that the 立 and 日 inside the kanji 音 are not actually the source. In fact, 言 carries the meaning of words of prayer to the gods and the act of making a vow to them. The mouth component in 言 is said to represent a lidded container for holding the prayer text or norito recited to the gods. Sensing the gods’ reply to the prayer kept in that container as “sound” is said to be the origin of 音.

Solution

The kanji formed by combining “horn” (角), “sword” (刀), and “cow” (牛) is 解. In addition to the fun of solving puzzles by breaking kanji into radicals and parts and assembling them, it’s also key that you can make associations from the meanings of each component. Focusing on the meanings and connections of the characters provides clues that lead you to the answer. It’s a brain-training puzzle for elementary school students that lets you enjoy using your head.

thought

The character 想 is made up of the kanji for “tree,” “eye,” and “heart.” Since it contains the “heart” radical, it perfectly matches the image of what 想 expresses. 想 describes the act of calling to mind someone else. You can sense the image of picturing a person’s form or appearance in your heart. Compared to 思う, which is read the same way (“omou”), 想 is used when stronger feelings or emotions are involved.