Colours 色

For  my first post we are going to look at some kanji. I am going to talk about the kanji, their etymology and techniques to remember them.


色
kun: いろ (iro)
on: シキ、 ショク (shiki, shoku)
meaning: colour
other meanings: complexion; appearance; look; love; lust; sensuality; love affair; lover; kind; type; variety

Combines 勹 (つつ、む), wrapping or enclosure (not commonly used), and 巴 (ともえ), swirl or vortex (or spread). The kanji 色 indicates a man spread over a woman (wrapped around her) and penetrating her from behind (do you understand the other meanings now :P ). One way to remember this kanji is to use a euphemism 'Sex is very colourful'.

赤

kun: あか、あかー、あか・い、あか・らむ、あか・らめる (aka, aka-, akai, akaramu, akarameru)

on: シャク、 セキ (shaku, seki)

The etymology for 赤 is pretty straight forward. It combines 大 (big) and 火 (fire). A roaring fire is red.