在 Exist

Radical Combination

• ナ

  Narwhal
• Stick
• 土

  Dirt

Meaning

Primary

Exist

Mnemonic

A narwhal sticks a stick into the dirt to see what might exist underneath it. Narwhals live in the sea, you see. So they're convinced nothing can exist anywhere else.

Hints

Imagine seeing a narwhal sticking a stick, and maybe even its horn too, into the dirt on land. It needs to know if life exists outside of the ocean for sure.

Readings

On’yomi

ざい

Kun’yomi

None

Nanori

None

Mnemonic

The narwhal can't find anything but it can't stop thinking about what could exist outside of its world. It pulls out a xylophone (ざい) and starts tapping the keys with its horn. It plays a sad song about the meaning of life and whether existence is worth it.

Hints

Hear the plinky plink of the xylophone and think about what exists in this world. It's a sad song, you realize.