藤
Mnemonic
A samurai wanders through tall grass under the moon. A cold splash of water drips onto his forehead from above—he looks up and discovers magnificent wisteria vines cascading overhead, their purple blossoms weeping dew in the pale moonlight.
Additional thoughts
Imagine the samurai's startled expression as cold dew hits his face, then the wonder of seeing endless wisteria draped above him. Grass underfoot, moon overhead, warrior beneath the vine, water falling—layer these images vertically like the kanji's stacked radicals.Quick recall
A samurai in grass under the moon feels a splash of water from wisteria dew above.Details
The keyword for 藤 is wisteria. This kanji refers to the wisteria plant, a climbing vine famous in Japan for its cascading clusters of purple, blue, or white flowers that bloom beautifully in spring. Wisteria holds deep cultural significance in Japan, frequently appearing in art, poetry, and garden design. The kanji is also extremely common as a component in Japanese surnames, most notably in names like 藤原 (Fujiwara) and 佐藤 (Satō).
- On'yomi
- とう、どう
- Kun'yomi
- ふじ