洞
cave; tunnel; hole; to see through
Kanji 1661
cave; tunnel; hole; to see through
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Synopsis
Find out how the structure of 洞 reflects the process of forming a cave. Learn to talk about limestone caves, stalactites, and stalagmites. See how the Japanese have used caves for everything from shelter to religion. Discover how people use 洞 to discuss insightfulness and to describe a particular kind of loss. Enjoy several photos of Japanese caves, as well as kanji signs for those caves.
Revision history:
Oct. 17, 2025: p. 4, sidebar: Revised a sentence that had multiple uses of "sound."
Mar. 22, 2024:
- p. 1 caption: Slightly revised my comment about the poem on the monument.
- p. 3: Slightly revised the translation of the monkey sentence.
- p. 4 sidebar: Deleted "somber" from the translation of the sample sentence.
- p. 10: Straightened both photos, changed the definition of 琴 from "harp" to "Japanese zither," and replaced the next-to-last link.
May 27, 2021:
- p. 2: Updated the Henshall etymology.
- p. 10: Reworked the caption about Iwaya Cave after removing broken links.
- p. 13: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.
June 28, 2013: Originally published.
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