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to suckle
Kanji 1947

Thank you for visiting this Character Home Page. Below you'll find a synopsis of the essay. If you wish to read the full text, the PDF of the essay is available for purchase to the right.

Synopsis

Let Japanese teach you about English! That is, Japanese terms for "lactation" and "mammal" are closely related. This is also true of "mammary" and "mammal," but English speakers rarely perceive such a link. Similarly, one Japanese word can mean "bringing up" and "breastfeeding." In English, "suckling" covers both meanings, but we miss this until we study Japanese!

Revision history:

May 31, 2021: 

  • p. 2: Updated the Henshall etymology.
  • p. 9: In the Japanese sentence that translates as “It is well known that the whale is the largest mammal,” I changed the 1st は to が.
  • p. 12: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.

Sept. 16, 2016: Originally published.

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Kanji PDF
Cover of essay 1947 on 哺, titled "Feeding the Young"
Mini Profile
JOYO ON-YOMI
JOYO KUN-YOMI
None
STROKES10
RADICAL口 (30: mouth)
JLPTN1
HALPERN-/359
HENSHALL-/1946
SPAHN3d7.4