漢 Chinese

Radical Combination

• 氵

  Tsunami
• Chinese

Meaning

Primary

Chinese

Alternatives

Man, China

Mnemonic

A tsunami hit ancient China and formed the Chinese country we know now as... China!

Sometimes this kanji also means man. In fact, it used to refer specifically to people of the Han dynasty, but over time evolved into a term for men in specific contexts.

Hints

Picture the world way far away, from space. You see a giant tsunami carve out a massive chunk of land to the west of Japan on the main continent. Slowly the tsunami waters recede, leaving the outline of China.

Readings

On’yomi

かん

Kun’yomi

おとこ

Nanori

None

Mnemonic

You peer closer at China and see one man, Genghis Khan (かん), leading his troops into the vast country, ready to conquer all the Chinese people living in China!

Hints

Khan is only one man, but watch as he takes China for himself. A tiny little flag with a horse on it is raised in the middle, for all of the Chinese people to see. Hmm, this could be a problem.