稲 Rice Plant

Radical Combination

• 禾

  Grain
• ⺤

  Cleat
• 旧

  Former

Meaning

Primary

Rice Plant

Mnemonic

The grain stuck in your cleat had a former life. In that life it was a rice plant. It was a happy little rice plant, minding its own business, when it was yanked up, cleaned, and put in a bag for people to buy and cook and eat. That was so long ago. Now all that's left is this sad loose grain in the bottom of your shoe.

Hints

When you look at a grain of rice, you should think about how it used to be a rice plant. That rice plant had a family! いいね, you think — that rice plant had a good life.

Readings

On’yomi

とう

Kun’yomi

いね, いな

Nanori

None

Mnemonic

The grain of rice thinks about its former life as a rice plant and, like you, mutters "いね." What's that, little rice grain? Are you trying to say life was good?

Hints

As it reminisces it wants to say "good," but the いいね is tragically cut short… much like the rice plant's life. It doesn't even have the strength to say it properly, it has to say いね. Yes, little grain, your rice plant life really was いね. Because you… were an いね. I'm sorry.