According to Henshall, the left-hand side of 躍 is𧾷, “foot, leg.” And the rest means “bird’s wings,” combining 羽 (wings) with 隹 (bird). This right-hand side also acts phonetically to express “leap” and may lend connotations of “soaring high.” All together, the components create a sense of leaping with the legs. (Well, how else is one supposed to leap?) “To dance” and “to rush” are associated meanings, he says.
Learn Japanese in minutes!
Sign up and start speaking now!
Blog Posts
- Popular
- Recent
-
How to Say Hello in Japanese: Practical Japanese Greetings
January 12, 2019Greetings are the most important things to learn when learning a new language. Japanese greetings are not only words... -
How To Say ‘Thank you’ in Japanese
November 27, 2017In most cultures, it is custom to express gratitude in some way or another. The dictionary defines gratitude as... -
How to Say I Love You in Japanese – Romantic Word List
February 7, 2019Do you often feel lonely and sad? Do you long for romance and are willing to do whatever it takes to meet that...
-
Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101’s Live Group Classes
August 19, 2025What if you could take an actual class from home? With a native teacher and four other learners? A... -
As you embark on your journey to learn Japanese, you might wonder: does the Japanese language have tones? In this...
-
All About the Japanese National Anthem : Kimigayo 君が代
November 4, 2022Maybe you have heard of the Japanese national anthem on TV from World Cup football championship or commendation...