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+--- Thread: 薬指 and 親指 (/thread-8620.html)
薬指 and 親指 - Zgarbas - 2011-11-01
Since usually body parts tend to make sense, I was curious about these two (薬指 as the ring finger and 親指 as the thumb). Compared to other parts which are rather visual/explicit like 手首, 中指、or 小指 they seem rather random/abstract.
Any reason why they came to be this way?
薬指 and 親指 - Omoishinji - 2011-11-02
薬指 - The third finger (ring finger) is the finger that mostly used to dissolved medicine. It has no relationship to westerners using it to put a ring on.
親 - Means parent, ancestor, and master among others. Its opposite is 子. You must have learned 親子. Parent and child. Yes, the opposite of 小指 is 親指 for one meaning of the word.
Remember Kanji entered Japanese through Chinese, long before English did.
薬指 and 親指 - Zgarbas - 2011-11-02
I know that, I just didn't see the links.
I do now, though. Thank you
薬指 and 親指 - Omoishinji - 2011-11-02
Zgarbas Wrote:I know that, I just didn't see the links.May I should have said. Those words entered the Japanese language before the custom of wearing wedding rings in Japan. It would have been more clear in what was meant to say.
I do now, though. Thank you