Mnemonic
You draw a bow strung with a quill feather. A little pull at first — easy. But each time you pull back further, the tension grows increasingly fierce, the bow bending increasingly wide, power spreading without end.
Additional thoughts
Picture the bow bending more and more with each draw: the quill-feathered arrow ready to fly farther every time. The little effort at the start contrasts with the escalating, ever-expanding force — mirroring the sense of spreading outward increasingly.Quick recall
A bow with a quill needs only a little pull, but each draw grows increasingly fierce.Details
The keyword for 弥 is increasingly. This kanji conveys the sense of something spreading out more and more, extending further, or intensifying over time. It carries the nuance of gradual expansion or escalation without end, suggesting a process that grows ever wider or stronger. The character is also well known from its use in proper names and Buddhist terminology, but at its core it expresses the idea of something that continues to increase or pervade to an ever greater degree.
- On'yomi
- み、び
- Kun'yomi
- や、いや、いよ.いよ、わた.る