Mnemonic
A hole opens at the peak of a frozen mountain cave, letting in a killing gale. You desperately plug up the hole with packed snow and ice, sealing it completely. Now atop the peak, with the hole plugged up, the shelter is airtight—the air thins and you can barely breathe.
Additional thoughts
Nitrogen (窒素) suffocates life. Picture the sealed cave at the peak: no airflow through the hole means suffocation. The altitude reinforces the thin-air, choking feeling.Quick recall
Seal the hole atop the peak to plug up the cave until the air itself suffocates you.Details
The keyword for 窒 is plug up. This kanji conveys the idea of blocking, obstructing, or suffocating by stopping up an opening or passage. It carries the sense of something being sealed so tightly that air or flow cannot pass through, leading to a state of stifling or choking. This meaning is most commonly encountered in the compound for nitrogen (窒素), the gas so named because it does not support life and effectively "plugs up" or suffocates breathing.
- On'yomi
- ちつ