Mnemonic
You raise your hand to approach a tent in the wilderness. An arrow zips past your ear — a warning shot! But you keep approaching, hand outstretched in peace, pushing through the tent flap to greet the nervous archer hiding inside.
Additional thoughts
Picture yourself physically closing the distance despite danger — hand forward, arrow flying, tent as the destination. The social courage of greeting someone mirrors pushing past that arrow.Quick recall
Raise a hand to approach a tent despite an arrow whizzing past.Details
The keyword for 挨 is approach. This kanji conveys the idea of drawing near to someone or something, often implying a sense of pushing close or pressing forward. It carries a nuance of coming into proximity with another person, and is most commonly encountered in the compound meaning "greeting," where two people approach each other in a social context. The character suggests the physical and social act of closing the distance between oneself and others.
- On'yomi
- あい
- Kun'yomi
- ひら.く