From: stueber@VAX.MPIZ-KOELN.MPG.DBP.DE
Newsgroups: fj.mail-lists.nihongo
Subject: kanji of the day ?53
Date: 12 Oct 92 13:09:02 GMT
Distribution: fj

KANJI OF THE DAY # 53

                ****
      **      ********                ****
      ********              ****************
      ****                            ****
      ****        **                  ****
      ****************      **************
      ****                            ****
      ****                            ****
      ************************************


      ******        ******        ******
      ****  **      ****  **      ****
      ****    ****  ****    ****  ****
      ****      **  ****      **  ****
      ****          ****          ****
      ****  **      ****  **      ****
      ****    ****  ****    ****  ****      **
      ****      **  ****      **    ****    **
      ****          ****            ****    **
      ****  **      ****    ****      **    **
************    ************          ****  **
  ******          ******                ********
  **              **                      ******

(Numbers indicate order and beginning of strokes)
 ^
 This I skipped, because this kanji is not touyou and therefore not
 listed in my stroke order reference book (Sakade). I am reluctant to
 to give my own ideas about the stroke order. Maybe someone mails me
 the correct information?

JIS      = 3053 (serial number)
shiftJIS = 916C (hexcode)
NELSON   = 5417
MIYAMOTO = 13-435
KUNZE    = 208-1

   OnYomi: SO
  Kunyomi: nezumi, nezu  -  rat, mouse; dark gray

Mnemonics:  "Picture of a mouse"

Derivation:

                ****
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      ********              ****************
      ****                            ****
      ****        **                  ****
      ****************      ************** <-- head of animal with whiskers
      ****                            ****
      ****                            ****
      ************************************


      ******        ******        ******  <-- originally sketch of a small hairy
      ****  **      ****  **      ****        four footed animal with tail.
      ****    ****  ****    ****  ****        Maybe you see it.
      ****      **  ****      **  ****
      ****          ****          ****
      ****  **      ****  **      ****
      ****    ****  ****    ****  ****      **
      ****      **  ****      **    ****    **
      ****          ****            ****    **
      ****  **      ****    ****      **    **
************    ************          ****  **
  ******          ******                ********
  **              **                      ******

Compounds:

NEZUMI-irazu   -   a ratproof cupboard
NEZUMI iro     -   dark gray, slate
NEZUMItori     -   rat poison; mousetrap
NEZUMI otoshi  -   rattrag
NEZUMIzan      -   multiplying like rats
SOhai          -   small fry, unimportant people
ginNEZU        -   silver gray

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REMARK: The Kanjis Of The Day #s 40 and 50 are the same. Its time that
        I write myself an indexing program...

The sign shown above is one of the most simple ones to remember and shows
clearly the fact that the memorizability is not a matter of few
strokes. Often signs with less strokes are much more difficult to keep in
mind. A pity it is no more touyou.

Since the kanji is supposed to represent a mouse or rat I give you also
a more realistic picture of what I recently saw in my office |
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Kurt Stueber
e-mail: stueber@vax.mpiz-koeln.mpg.dbp.de
Tel:  +49-221-5062537                     _________   / \\
Fax:  +49-221-5062513                    /         -- \ //
                                        |                o //
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This is number 0053
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