Mnemonic
A giant squid challenges you to a game of go on the ocean floor. The board is carved into a massive stone slab, and you play with smooth black and white stones. The squid places stones with all eight arms at once—impossible to keep up!
Additional thoughts
Visualize tentacles curling around polished Go stones, slapping them down on the carved stone board with sharp clicks echoing through the water. The surreal underwater setting makes the image sticky.Quick recall
A squid plays go on a stone board beneath the sea.Details
The keyword for 碁 is go. This kanji refers to the ancient strategic board game of Go, in which two players alternately place black and white stones on a gridded board, aiming to surround and claim territory. Originating in China thousands of years ago, Go is one of the oldest and most complex board games in the world. The kanji specifically denotes this game and is commonly seen in the word 囲碁 (igo), the formal Japanese term for Go.
- On'yomi
- ご