被
Mnemonic
Your overcoat was cursed — its rough lining shredded your skin raw. By wearing it, you incur horrible rashes and blistering wounds. Every time you put that overcoat on, the skin underneath suffers more damage than before.
Additional thoughts
Picture a dark, thorny overcoat that punishes whoever wears it. The skin beneath is always the passive victim, always incurring damage it never asked for — perfectly mirroring the passive, receiving nature of this kanji.Quick recall
A cursed overcoat shreds your skin — you incur suffering just by wearing it.Details
The keyword for 被 is incur. This kanji conveys the idea of suffering, receiving, or being subjected to something, often something negative or undesirable. It is frequently used in passive constructions, indicating that the subject has something done to them rather than doing it themselves. The sense of incurring captures this notion of being on the receiving end of an action, damage, or misfortune.
- On'yomi
- ひ
- Kun'yomi
- こうむ.る、おお.う、かぶ.る、かぶ.せる