自
부수: 自
획수: 6획
自 simply means self.
自 = 自
X = semantic
• 自 depicts a nose and means ‘self’
This is more obvious in the historical forms where the bridge and base are clearly defined.
In Western cultures, people point to their chest to refer to themselves. However, in Oriental cultures, people point to their noses. This is how 自 came to mean ‘self’.
Evolution:
自 = nose ➔ self
Mnemonic
Remember that people in Oriental cultures point to their noses to refer to themselves 自.
Alternatively, consider how 自 is very similar to ‘eye’ 目, with one extra stroke.
Vocab
| 自己 | 자기 | oneself; himself/herself; darling (endearment) |
| 自由 | 자유 | freedom; liberty |
| 自然 | 자연 | nature; natural; spontaneity |
| 各自 | 각자 | each; individual; separately |
| 自殺 | 자살 | suicide |
| 自我 | 자아 | ego |
| 自慢 | 자만 | vanity |
| 自立 | 자립 | self-reliance |
| 自認 | 자인 | self-acknowledgement |
| 自慰 | 자위 | self-consolation; masturbation |
| 自體 | 자체 | oneself; itself |
| 自信 | 자신 | self confidence |
| 自治 | 자치 | self-governing |
| 自動 | 자동 | automatic |
| 自轉車 | 자전거 | bicycle |
| 自尊心 | 자존심 | pride |
| 自閉症 | 자폐증 | autism (self-closure illness) |
Other resources
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The Kanji Map
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Immersion Kit
Vietnamese
Bibliography
Affiliate links help support uK.
— Daum 사전, [s.v. 自].
— Grant, B.K. (1982). A Guide To Korean Characters: Reading and Writing Hangul and Hanja, [s.v. 280]. Seoul: Hollym.
— Outlier Dictionary of Chinese Characters, [s.v. 自].
— Seely, C., Henshall, K.G., & Fan, J. (2016). The Complete Guide to Japanese Kanji: Remembering and Understanding the 2,136 Standard Japanese Characters, [s.v. 150]. Singapore: Tuttle Publishing.