器
Mnemonic
Four mouths gape at each corner of a big banquet table. Each mouth roars for something different—one mouth wants a fork, another mouth a ladle. When four mouths demand to be fed at a big feast, you grab every utensil in sight!
Additional thoughts
The kanji 器 places four 口 (mouth) radicals around a central 大 (big). Picture four hungry, gaping mouths surrounding a grand table, each one demanding its own utensil. The shape itself looks like mouths in every corner framing something large.Quick recall
Four mouths around a big feast—grab every utensil!Details
The keyword for 器 is utensil. This kanji refers to a vessel, tool, container, or instrument—any kind of implement or apparatus used for a particular purpose. It carries a broad sense of something crafted to serve a function, extending beyond simple kitchen utensils to include devices, organs of the body, or even a person's capacity or caliber. In a more abstract sense, it can denote talent or ability, as in someone being a "vessel" of great potential.
- On'yomi
- き
- Kun'yomi
- うつわ