井
Well
| on’yomi | kun’yomi | Radicals |
|---|---|---|
| しょう | い | 井 |
Meaning: Well
The well kanji and the well radical are the same!
As long as you don’t fall down a well (and you’ve been studying your radicals) memorizing this kanji’s meaning should be a cinch.
Reading: しょう
There’s a well in your village. Your arch rival and the person you hate starts insisting that he has something he needs to show (しょう) you inside the well. You don’t understand, because this person hates you and you hate them… but all of a sudden they are friendly, and really, really want to show you something. You go, because your curiosity is too overwhelming. Turns out, he wanted to show you the bottom of the well by shoving you in.
Make sure you focus on the show part of this story. Be unsure of why he wants to show you anything at all. It’s so weird, it doesn’t make sense…
Vocabulary
Learn these two words before moving on, especially the meaning part.
a 井戸（いど）＝ Water Well
- Combo: 井 (well) + 戸 (door)
- Meaning: Think a door to a well, which happens to be a water well.
- Reading: If you know the readings of both these kanji (kun’yomi ones) you should know the reading for this word.
a 天井（てんじょう）＝ Ceiling
- Combo: 天 (heaven) + 井 (well)
- Meaning: A heaven well is like a ceiling, right? I’m guessing because through the ceiling is the heavens, so your ceiling is kind of like a well that funnels the heavens (when you pray, perhaps?)
- Reading: If you know the on’yomi readings you can learn this vocab’s readings as well.