Mnemonic
A tiny insect lands on a glistening thread and instantly knows something is very wrong. The silk vibrates, and from the dark center of the web, a spider descends — eight legs drumming — wrapping the helpless insect in silk before it can even twitch a wing.
Additional thoughts
Picture the insect's moment of horrified recognition (know) as the web's owner arrives. The two radicals mirror the prey's perspective: an insect that knows it's doomed.Quick recall
An insect knows it's doomed the instant the spider descends.Details
The keyword for 蜘 is spider. This kanji specifically refers to the spider as part of the compound 蜘蛛 (くも), which is the standard word for spider in Japanese. On its own, 蜘 does not carry independent meaning and is almost exclusively encountered within this two-character compound. It evokes the image of the eight-legged arachnid known for spinning intricate webs.
- On'yomi
- ち
- Kun'yomi
- くも