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Lesson Transcript

Hi everyone.
Welcome to the Japanese Kanji video series.
In this lesson, you'll learn the "mouth" radical.
Kanji Series
Lesson 06: The Mouth Radical
Take a look at these kanji characters. Can you guess what they mean?
(pause for 4 seconds)
By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to grasp the meaning behind these kanji characters.
口、兄、古、同
First off, can you spot the radical that's common in all of these kanji characters?
(pause for 4 seconds)
It's this part here.
This particular radical is called...
口
くち or くちへん
The "mouth" radical is used in some of the most common kanji characters. Let's take a look at it in more detail.
Meaning
The "mouth" radical stands for exactly that, "the mouth." 口
Keep in mind though that it encapsulates the many senses of the word "mouth" and isn"t limited to the mouth of a person or animal. The "mouth of a river" for instance, alludes to an opening where water moves *through* to enter an ocean. The "mouth" radical embodies this sense of the word too.
From left to right, the first kanji means "mouth," the second means "older brother," the third character means "old," and fourth character means "same."
口、兄、古、同
This radical is a kanji by itself, as seen in the first example.
The second kanji has the "mouth" radical on top, and the "human legs" radical - which we learned in lesson 4 - on the bottom.
The third kanji has the "mouth" radical on the bottom, and the "ten" radical which we learned in the *previous* lesson, on top.
Do you remember this kanji character?
(pause 2)
It's the character for "old."
The fourth kanji has the "mouth" radical enclosed in a type of hood representing a group. A group of people who share one voice have the *same* opinion.
So the meaning of this kanji is "same" or "equal."
Common positions
The "mouth" radical appears in multiple positions. It can appear in the "crown" position...
(pause 2 seconds)
like in the kanji for "older brother." 兄
Or it can appear at the bottom, in the "foot" position...
(pause 2 seconds)
like in the kanji for "old." 古
And just as often, it can appear in the "right" position...
(pause 2 seconds)
like in this kanji character meaning "harmony." 和
As you can see, the "mouth" radical appears in many different positions. So keep your eyes peeled!
Okay. Now let's learn how to write this radical.
Stroke Order
The "mouth" radical is very simple, it's written in 3 strokes and it looks like a box.
The first stroke, occurs on the left side and is a vertical stroke that goes from top to bottom.
The second looks like a right corner and starts from left to right, and then bends downwards.
It's important to note, that this second stroke should be completed in one smooth motion.
Finally, close the box by connecting the first stroke to the second stroke at the bottom.
And that's it! You're done!
Common Readings
When the "mouth" radical is on its own, 口, the kanji can be read as...
コウ for the on reading
and くち for the kun reading
And when the "mouth" radical is a part of another kanji...
キョウ、あに for the "older brother" kanji 兄
コ、ふる for the kanji meaning "old,” 古. And...
ドウ、おな for the kanji meaning "same" or "equal,” 同.
Lesson Review
In this lesson, you learned about the "mouth" radical.
The "mouth" radical looks like a square.
The idea behind this radical encapsulates all senses of the word "mouth," equivalent to English.
You also learned the kanji characters for "mouth," "older brother," "old," and "same" or "equal," in which this radical appears.
It can be found in multiple positions: the crown, foot, or right position.
And it's written with one vertical stroke, one right-corner stroke, and one connecting horizontal stroke.
In the next lesson, you'll learn about another common radical used in some of the most common and basic kanji characters, the "one" radical.
See you in the next lesson.
Bye!
Bye~!

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