扇

fan

Kanji 1492

You might be envisioning a handheld fan as a dainty item held by a dainty woman, but war commanders used to hold fans, and fans have served as weapons! Far from being confined to a genteel world, 扇 plays a role in words about instigating trouble. Learn about two shapes of fans and see how they influence animal and plant names, as well as descriptions of many everyday objects.

Want to Own This Kanji?

The beautiful Hokusai image on the first page of this essay has made it onto quite a few products on Zazzle. I'm partial to these:

A round pillow:

A tote bag:

A T-shirt:

When you travel from Joy o' Kanji to Zazzle and buy something there, you're supporting my project; I have an affiliate relationship with Zazzle, so Joy o' Kanji receives a small percentage of the proceeds of such sales. If you like what I'm doing and you love kanji, I invite you to Zazzle up!