Mnemonic
A snake slithers onto your heart during mourning. Its icy coils squeeze tighter with every memory of the deceased. You dare not move—just as mourning demands you abstain from all joy, the snake forbids your heart from beating freely until the grief finally passes.
Additional thoughts
Picture the snake (己) sitting right on top of the heart (心) in the kanji. The snake's cold, constricting presence mirrors the taboos and heavy sorrow of a mourning period—your heart is bound, unable to act normally.Quick recall
A snake constricts your heart, forcing you into silent mourning.Details
The keyword for 忌 is mourning. This kanji refers to the period of grief and abstinence observed after the death of a loved one, as well as the associated memorial rites and death anniversaries in Japanese tradition. It also carries the broader sense of avoiding or detesting something, as certain activities are traditionally shunned during a mourning period. The character thus encompasses both the emotional weight of bereavement and the taboos or prohibitions that accompany it.
- On'yomi
- き
- Kun'yomi
- い.む、い.み、い.まわしい