牙

tusk, fang; "tusk" radical

Kanji 1972

Tusks and fangs may seem unrelated to our lives, but without elephant tusks, we wouldn't have ivory carvings, the color ivory white, a country named Ivory Coast, or the horrible song "Ebony and Ivory." Most of that is also true in Japanese, because 牙 appears in all those terms (excluding the song title). In fact, the Japanese rely on 牙 to an even greater extent; they also use it in expressions about showing hostility, preparing for a fight, and acting in evil ways. On top of that, 牙 is a radical in three Joyo kanji, and it's part of the Shin-Joyo set (the group of characters added to the Joyo set in 2010).

Revision notes:

June 7, 2021: 

• p. 2: Replaced the Henshall etymology of 牙.
• pp. 9 and 10: Added Henshall etymologies for 3 characters containing 牙.
• p. 10: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.

Dec. 19, 2014: Corrected a different part of the end of the photo caption on page 2 by changing "toys" to "'soft vinyl' toys."

Aug. 17, 2012: Corrected the end of the photo caption on page 2.