Mnemonic
A giant eye rolls around the corner of a government building, startling a little clerk stamping prefecture documents. Every prefecture needs a watchful eye on each corner—even the littlest office!
Additional thoughts
Picture a cartoonishly huge eyeball tumbling around the corner of a Japanese prefectural office, scaring a tiny clerk. The eye watches, the corner defines the building's shape, and the little clerk runs the prefecture.Quick recall
A huge eye rounds the corner, scaring a little clerk in the prefecture office.Details
The keyword for 県 is prefecture. This kanji refers to the primary administrative divisions of Japan, similar to states or provinces in other countries. Japan is divided into 47 prefectures, each serving as a regional governing unit with its own local government. The character originally depicted a severed head hung from a tree, but over time its meaning shifted entirely to denote these governmental districts.
- On'yomi
- けん
- Kun'yomi
- か.ける