Kanji Lesson 21

又 (ユウ、また)

Again, Furthermore

This kanji is a picture of a right arm holding something (a long thing such as a firewood) on the shoulder. Carrying things on the shoulder lets us carry more weight, or for a further distance, especially when the weight is evenly distributed across both shoulders such as in the Fireman's Carry, the position of which resembles the shape of this kanji.

• 又は  (または)  Or, Otherwise

毛 (モウ、け)

Fur, Hair

By decade_resister (Flickr)
CC BY-NS-SA 2.0

This kanji is a picture of the palm of a hand (手) with some hair on its back. The hair is represented by the  lower part of the last stroke (the vertical line) that curls upward.

• 不毛 (ふもう) Sterile, Barren, Unproductive

友 (ユウ、とも)

Friend

Consists of the kanjl for  "again/furthermore" (又) and the radical ノ and 一. The radical ノ and 一 represent a shoulder and an arm. Altogether, they represent someone who gives us his / her hands (help) and shoulders (a place to lean on) more than other people do, again and again.

• 友人 (ゆうじん) Friend
• 友好 (ゆうこう) Friendship

反 (ハン、ホン、タン、そ.る、かえ.る)

Anti-, Return, Warp

Consists of the "cliff" radical (厂) and the kanji for "again/ furthermore" (又). Most cliffs are formed due to erosion, and in the case of coastal cliffs, erosion by sea waves. Further erosion will create a curve at the bottom, and the cliff will appear to be bent / arched if seen from the side. When this curve gets bigger and bigger, the upper part of the cliff will lose its supporting structure, and the cliff will collapse. The notion of "anti-" and "return" came from the fact that when we try to bend something (especially long objects), we are actually trying to make the ending point "returns" to the starting point (the opposite point). 

公 (コウ、ク、おおやけ)

Public

The upper part of this kanji represents something being split, while the lower part is the "myself" radical (厶) which has the same shape as the katakana "mu". Together they represent the meaning of splitting/sharing one's individuality/privacy with others, hence the meaning of "public".

• 公平 (こうへい); 公正 (こうせい) Fairness, Impartial, Justice
• 公立 (こうりつ) Public (institution)