Mnemonic
A ninja who's also an icarus? Now that's unusual. Picture a ninja with wax wings soaring toward the sun like icarus. A creature of shadow chasing blinding light is the most unusual transformation imaginable—from stealth to spectacle, melting wings and all.
Additional thoughts
Icarus forms the upper part of the kanji (the soaring figure with wings), ninja forms the lower part (the grounded shadow). A ninja abandoning darkness to fly into the sun is the ultimate strange change—two incompatible identities fused into one unusual sight.Quick recall
A ninja straps on wax wings and flies like icarus—truly unusual.Details
The keyword for 変 is unusual. This kanji conveys the sense of something being strange, odd, or out of the ordinary, describing a departure from what is considered normal or expected. It also carries the meaning of change or transformation, as something that shifts from its usual state naturally becomes unusual or different. The concept ties together the ideas of alteration and peculiarity, suggesting that what undergoes change often strikes us as strange.
- On'yomi
- へん
- Kun'yomi
- か.わる、か.わり、か.える