桑
Mnemonic
Once more a silkworm crawls up, once more it devours a leaf, once more it returns to gorge—three trips to the same faithful tree. That's the mulberry, the tree that built an empire of silk.
Additional thoughts
Three 'once more' radicals (又) sit stacked atop the tree radical (木), like three hungry silkworms repeatedly visiting the same mulberry tree. The triple repetition mirrors their relentless appetite.Quick recall
Once more, once more, once more the worms feast on the same tree—the mulberry.Details
The keyword for 桑 is mulberry. This kanji refers to the mulberry tree, a plant of great historical and cultural significance in East Asia, particularly because its leaves serve as the primary food source for silkworms. The cultivation of mulberry trees was essential to the silk industry, making this tree a symbol of sericulture and agricultural livelihood in classical Chinese and Japanese culture. By extension, it can evoke rural life and the passage of time, as seen in expressions about the changing landscape of mulberry fields.
- On'yomi
- そう
- Kun'yomi
- くわ