毛
Fur
| on’yomi | kun’yomi | Radicals |
|---|---|---|
| もう | け | 毛 |
Meaning: Fur
Fur and fur are the same as each other, so the meaning of this kanji should be simple.
Just make sure you’re studying your radicals, otherwise it won’t be as simple as I’d hoped.
Reading: もう
With fur, wisp your imagination to a land where there are stalks of fur all around, just like a big tall grassy field (except instead of grass, it’s fur). You’re surrounded by the black fur, the wind is blowing. Imagine yourself touching the long fur and smelling it. What does it feel / smell like? Now it’s time to get rid of it. There’s just too much hair! To get rid of it, you’ll need to mow (もう) it down with a lawn mower. Imagine yourself starting up the lawn mower, and taking it around, mowing down the hair. Hear the sound of the mower in your head (they’re loud and distinct). The important thing is to imagine yourself mowing everything. Key is to think “fur → In the fur → getting rid of the fur → mow the fur,” in that order. That’ll get you to mow, which will help you to remember the on’yomi.
Smell the fur as you mow it down. Feel it flying everywhere. It’s giant, so it must be pretty intense. Make it more intense to help yourself to remember the reading of this kanji better.
Vocabulary
Learn the meaning of this one word (should be super easy) before moving on. You’ll get more hair words later, when you start hitting the 6-7 stroke kanji and beyond.
a 毛（け）＝ hair, fur
- Meaning: The meaning is the same as the kanji. Just remember, this refers to body hair, not top o’ the head hair.
- Reading: The reading is the kun’yomi reading (which makes sense, since it’s a single kanji all alone). Just imagine someone from the KKK (け) applying hair products to their arm and leg hairs, because they can’t put it on their head (that’s not even 毛, anyways!).