Mnemonic
A dragon opens its mouth wide, revealing enormous, glistening lips—ruby-red and scaled. Each time the dragon roars, those lips vibrate like a trumpet's mouth, shaping raw fire into precise streams. Kiss those lips? You'd be toast—literally.
Additional thoughts
Picture the dragon radical (辰) perched above the mouth radical (口). The dragon's mouth naturally draws your eye to its lips—the gateway between inner fire and the outside world. Red, scaled, unmistakable.Quick recall
A dragon opens its mouth, revealing massive, fire-framing lips.Details
The keyword for 唇 is lips. This kanji refers to the fleshy, movable parts that form the opening of the mouth, used for speaking, eating, and expressing emotion. It encompasses both the upper and lower lips and can also be used metaphorically to refer to the edge or rim of something, much as "lip" can in English. The character conveys the idea of this soft, sensitive part of the face that plays a central role in communication and human expression.
- On'yomi
- しん
- Kun'yomi
- くちびる