Mnemonic
You press your hand flat against the walls of a cramped room and shove them wide open, forcing them apart to broaden the entire space. Your hand keeps pushing outward—broader and broader—until the room stretches into a vast, echoing hall that seems to have no end.
Additional thoughts
Picture the physical strain in your palm as you push walls wide. The hand is the tool; wide is the result. Together they mean to broaden.Quick recall
A hand forces walls wide apart to broaden the room.Details
The keyword for 拡 is broaden. This kanji conveys the idea of expanding, widening, or spreading something out to make it larger in scope or extent. It is used in contexts where something is being enlarged, extended, or amplified beyond its current boundaries, whether physically or abstractly. The sense is one of actively pushing outward to increase range, coverage, or scale.
- On'yomi
- かく、こう
- Kun'yomi
- ひろ.がる、ひろ.げる、ひろ.める