This is a question for the more hardcore 漢字 aficionados out there.

In my copy of RTK1 at least (which is ancient), the traditional radical 尢 (#43) never gets a proper nickname. Does any of you have one?

Thanks!

PS: I've seen "crooked big" as a nickname, but it just doesn't click for me. I can't visualize a "whopperjawed St. Bernard" sufficiently distinctly to make this a useful primitive for Heisig-type stories. Ultimately, I would like to make a good story for the rare character 簪, which features a couple of 尢's buried deep inside it.

I simply go with "dog with a broken leg".

I used "genetically modified dog", in that it's a dog with human legs...

I used a "Dog humping a leg" image, but it's usually the Chronic Insult Comic Dog doing the deed.

"Very easy visualization in most Kanji stories, for me to poop on".

[Katsuo]

尢 usually appears in characters with an added drop (i.e. 尤) which Heisig calls "chihuahua with one human leg", a memorable image though a bit of a mouthful.

Rather than 尢, 簪 (kanzashi, "long ornate hairpin") contains "waitress" (旡), though it's a bit confusing because this is a radical that varies in form and stroke count.

Anyway, from a practical Heisig point of view, kanzashi is made from bamboo, two waitresses, and sun/day.

My story: In the restaurant the two waitresses are carefully putting bamboo kanzashi in their hair and as a result I have to wait all day to get served.

I always found Heisig's use of dogs for 大 etc to be pretty confusing. It's hard to make stories when you've got 4 or whatever types of dog primitives. I'm guessing Heisig just likes dogs (like he likes religious myths).

Katsuo Wrote:Rather than 尢, 簪 (kanzashi, "long ornate hairpin") contains "waitress" (旡), though it's a bit confusing because this is a radical that varies in form and stroke count.

Thanks, I did not know 旡 ; I was going to cobble together some new Franken-primitive out 尢 and either "fishhook" or "drop + one".

On the other hand, 旡 looks a lot like 兂, which, to confuse matters further, gets translated as "hairpin". (This would suggest that "hairpin" 兂 is in fact what's inside of "ornate hairpin" 簪... Enough to drive one crazy.)

Thanks for the info, and for the story!

Thank you all for your suggestions. (I'm still chuckling at the image of Triumph humping a leg.)

Katsuo Wrote:Rather than 尢, 簪 (kanzashi, "long ornate hairpin") contains "waitress" (旡), though it's a bit confusing because this is a radical that varies in form and stroke count.

I learnt 簪 from Rick Harbaugh's Zhongwen, and according to that book 簪 contains the character 朁, of which the primitives are 兂 (hairpin) and not 旡 (waitress).