Kanji Stories Number 277-2042

Kanji Stories Heisig, Kanji no. 1-2042

1) ONE horizontal line.

2) TWO horizontal lines.

3) THREE horizontal lines.

4) HUMAN LEGS stick out of a monster's MOUTH - FOUR of them.

5) KEYS hang by a CANE from a CEILING - FIVE of them.

6) TOPHATTED creature with ANIMAL LEGS picks up SIX.

7) SEVEN. Similar to a SPOON, but the horizontal stroke CUTS all the way through. *Primitive = diced, i.e. CUT into little pieces.

8) Pictograph of the number EIGHT. The two lines if continued could form the "X" at the centre of the number 8.

9) The second stroke kicks out to represent one of NINE baseball players legs as he slides into a base. Note the vertical stroke is drawn first. *Primitives = baseball, baseball team.

10) Turn this character 45 degrees either way, and it makes the X used for the Roman numeral for TEN. *Primitive = needle.

11) This square forms a pictograph of a MOUTH.

12) DAY. Pictograph of the sun. *Primitives = sun, tongue wagging in mouth.

13) Pictograph of the crescent MOON as seen through wisps of clouds (popular).When this kanji appears as a primitive on the LEFT side of a kanji, it brings the connation of "part of body", "flesh", or "meat".*Primitives = part of the body, flesh, meat, moon.

14) Pictograph of a grid of RICE FIELDS. Note the third stroke is from the top downward. *Primitive = brain.

15) When turned sideways, the box in the middle could be seen as forming the pupil of an EYE (popular).

16) This looks like a grave-marker, the ever-nearing destination of the very OLD.

17) FIVE MOUTHS have "I".

18) With the SUN in your EYES, you RISK not catching the fly ball and a subsequent conking on the head.

19) Two COMPANION MOONS shine over an alien planet. | FLESH lends a sense of closeness to the kanji for COMPANION.

20) The SUN and MOON together make for a BRIGHT day (popular).

21) A MOUTH, for 2 consecutive DAYS, CHANTS.

22) SUNS, SUNS, SUNS, everywhere reflect off a SPARKLING wine.

23) These three MOUTHS together almost look like GOODS piled up and ready for shipment.

24) SPINE. Pictograph of two MOUTHS joined by a line.

25) TWO SUNS shine on a PROSPEROUS man.

26) The NEEDLE-like stem (of a sunflower) combines with the SUN on top to spread its arms to greet the EARLY morning SUN, in a kanji-like SUN-FLOWER. *Primitive = sunflower

27) Stay for NINE SUN-rises in the Land of the RISING SUN or else you'll never get over the jet-lag. | Fittingly, SUN plays a role in RISING SUN.

28) THREE TENS add up to the 30 years of a given GENERATION (popular). *Alternate primitive = leaf

29) Here we see a medical diagram with the BRAIN on top, and underneath, the PART OF THE BODY which is most prominent, i.e., The STOMACH.

30) The SUN rises up over the horizon (FLOOR) at "NIGHTBREAK" (i.e., The breaking up of night). | Fittingly, the temporal DAY is found in the kanji for NIGHTBREAK (i.e., the breaking up of night).

31) The PART OF THE BODY which gets up every day at NIGHTBREAK is the GALL BLADDER.

32) The SUN rises up over the FLOOR of the ground to the CEILING of the sky, thus SPANNING the day. | The temporal DAY fittingly plays a part in the kanji for SPAN. *Alternate primitive = Spam

33) Pictograph of a square with the topCON-CAVEing in.

34) CONVEX.

35) Kids were punished by whacking them with a CANE all DAY long in the OLDEN TIMES. | The temporal DAY finds its way into the kanji for OLDEN TIMES.

36) If you've ever been around Japanese people, you know that they point one finger to their own NOSE, i.e., The DROP between the EYES, to indicate ONESELF (popular). *Primitive = nose

37) One DROP of the SUN is WHITE (popular). *Primitive = white bird, or dove.

38) The Japanese call the 99th birthday the WHITE YEAR because the kanji for ONE HUNDRED minus the 1 at the top turns it into the character for WHITE. (Popular).

39) A CANE is stuck in a whale's MOUTH, allowing fish to go IN and out.

40) If two lines make a TEN, then three lines = 10 to the 3rd, i.e. ONE THOUSAND. (Popular).

41) A THOUSAND MOUTHS combine to make one huge TONGUE.

42) A THOUSAND bent NEEDLES are kept in an old SEWING BOX. Note how the THOUSAND is slightly curved. * Primitive = sewing box

43) The SUN tries to set on a needly SEWING BOX and immediately must RISE UP again. | The SUN shines its first light in RISING UP.

44) NINE DROPS make a ROUND pattern. *Primitive = a fat, round baseball player.

45) Using a special HOOKED NEEDLE, DROPS are carefully MEASURED out by a chemist. *Primitive = glue. This is actually an old Japanese measurement called a sun it is one tenth of a shaku which will appear later.

46) A mutant who has TEN BRAINS GLUED together uses them to reach the top of his chosen SPECIALTY.

47) Shakily holding a huge NEEDLE with DROPS flying out of it is an acupuncture SPECIALIST who wants to become a full-fledged DR. *Primitive = acupuncture specialist (without the needle).

48) In a trance, a gypsy holds a DIVINING ROD, and spirit's words emit from her MOUTH, presenting an image of FORTUNE-TELLING. | MOUTH sets the tone in the kanji for FORTUNE TELLING. Pictograph of a DIVINING ROD or a MAGIC WAND.

49) A MAGIC WAND stands ABOVE a FLOOR.

50) A MAGIC WAND hangs BELOW a ceiling.

51) Waving a MAGIC WAND and causing SUNFLOWERS to magically appear amidst the audience is an EMINENT magician.

52) The MOON can sometimes be seen through the MIST in early MORNING.*Radical on the left side of the kanji means MIST.

53) A huge MOUTH seems to say "if ONLY I didn't have ANIMAL LEGS".

54) The EYE is the body and ANIMAL LEGS are the bottom portion of a SHELLFISH. *Primitive = shells, shell-currency

55) Wave a MAGIC WAND over a SHELL, and it magically stands UPRIGHT.

56) Represented by a MOUTH on a SHELL, this kanji has the look of a robotic EMPLOYEE.

57) A creature consisting only of an EYE and HUMAN LEGS SEES extremely well.

58) In the OLDEN DAYS, when man was changing from beast to man, if a NEWBORN BABE had HUMAN LEGS, it was allowed to live. | The temporal SUN finds its way into NEWBORN BABE.

59) TWO HUMAN LEGS are given out at the BEGINNING.

60) A picture of ONE NOSE with the ANIMAL LEGS representing the moustache, forms a picture of a HEAD, an illustration which also adorns each PAGE of a book. *Primitive = head

61) If someone's HEAD always sticks with the BEGINNING idea, then he is very STUBBORN. | HEAD in the sense of "HEADSTRONG" plays a role in this kanji.

62) A storm that is just a puff of WIND and a DROP of rain is MEDIOCRE effort.

63) BOUND UP with a rope made of snapping SEA-SHELLS, an opponent is DEFEATED. Or think of a CLAMSHELLs mouth being BOUND UP as a sign of DEFEAT

64) If your billfold is down to only ONE BOUND UP (by the billfold) TEN THOUSAND yen note, it's time to go to the bank and get some more.

65) A captive with MOUTH BOUND UP can only speak in muffled PHRASES. | A MOUTH utters the catch-PHRASE of this kanji.

66) FLESH blown on by WIND looses its soft TEXTURE.

67) The standard measure of DAYS in ancient China was 10 DAYS "BOUND UP", thus creating a DECAMARON. | The temporal DAY appears in DECAMARON.

68) BOUND-UP and DROP combine to create an image of a LADLE.

69) At a carnival booth, you shoot at an imitation WHITE DOVE, and if you hit it, you get to fish a prize out with a LADLE - your reward for hitting the BULL'S EYE.

70) ANIMAL HORNS growing out of your NOSE reach down to your NECK.

71) A fishhook pulls out FISHGUTS.*Primitive = fishhook

72) Sticking their TONGUES out at police, only to be brought under control by police wielding FISHHOOKS, are rampaging RIOTERS.

73) CROSSED-EYES of a race-car driver are straightened out in surgery with a special FISHHOOK, and can now see the STRAIGHTAWAYS of the race track STRAIGHTWAY (right away), without needing the time to uncross.

74) A TOOLS with an EYE mounted on it is especially good at completing its job. The TOOL primitive at the bottom of this kanji could be seen of as a table where you keep your TOOLS.

75) The TEN EYES of "straightaway" here are used as a TOOL to see the TRUTH.

76) Represents a carpenter's square, used in his CRAFT of working with wood. *Alternate primitive = carpenter's square

77) BY ONE'S SIDE hangs a CARPENTER'S SQUARE, to the LEFT, leaving the right side free to do the main work. Notice how the second stroke on the left is longer than the first, to emphasize the left side. (Similar to 10, but with the vertical line curving off to the left. Think of TEN fingers dangling BY ONE'S SIDE).

78) The hand usually hanging BY ONE'S SIDE which is used to put food in the MOUTH is the one on the RIGHT. (Popular).

79) Dangling by one's SIDE is a packet of MOON dust, a proud POSSESSION for all to see.

80) If you have a lot of SHELL-CURRENCY in your POSSESSION, then you can BRIBE many people.

81) Natives of Polynesian island use SHELLS to CRAFT a TRIBUTE to the gods.

82) A CARPENTER'S SQUARE is used to create the HEADings of a wooden PARAGRAPH.

83) SWORD.*Primitive = dagger. *When on right, this becomes SABRE

84) A DROP of a SWORD is recategorized as a BLADE. | The SWORD lends a cutting sense here to the kanji for BLADE.

85) SEVEN SWORDS CUT.

86) A SWORD-eater, as he gingerly places a SWORD in his MOUTH, seems almost to be SEDUCING it.

87) In a celestial romance, the SUN attempts to SEDUCE a SHINING star. *Alternate primitive = shoeshine box

88) The height of a stack of SHELLS is measured with a SABRE being used as a kind of RULER. | SABRE lends a sense of length to this kanji. *Alternate primitive = ruler

89) Great WEALTH is used to purchase a huge collection of old SABRES for an aficionado, the VICE-President.(ONE MOUTH eats all the BRAINS of various animals, a delicacy eaten by those with great WEALTH).

90) A MOUTH which has been BOUND-UP is suddenly free to talk when the binding cloth is SEPARATED by a SABRE. | SABRE lends a cutting sense to the kanji for SEPARATE.

91) NAIL in that STREET sign. *Primitive = nail / exact

92) As RICE FIELDS start to multiply, NAILS are used to start building a TOWN (Revised).

93) Determined carpenter hold NAILS in his MOUTH, saying "I CAN do this all by myself".

94) Instead of hitting the NAIL on the HEAD, you PLACE it ON THE HEAD of this kanji. | HEAD of course appears in this kanji.

95) Pictograph of a small CHILD.

96) A CHILD fears the HOOK of the dentist probing a CAVITY.

97) This kanji resembles a question mark, which shows that our knowledge of a given subject is never really COMPLETE.

98) Here we find the graceful kanji which represents WOMAN.

99) A WOMAN is FOND of her CHILD (popular). | WOMAN lends her gentle presence to the kanji for FOND.

100) A WOMAN's MOUTH often reveals a LIKENESS both physically and in her way of thinking to that of her mother.

101) This kanji contains the outline of the kanji for ONNA (woman), with two dots emphasizing the maternal nature of MAMA. (Revised). *Primitive = breasts.

102) A MOTHER gives SHELL-CURRENCY to her daughter to go out and PIERCE her ears.

103) Simply a MOUTH on HUMAN LEGS is how many family members think of the ELDER BROTHER. (Popular). *Primitive = teenager

104) TEN TEENAGERS take over a recreation hall by OVERCOMING the attendants.

105) Three LITTLE drops. *Primitive = small

106) Small - with an extra line for emphasis to extend the meaning to "FEW".

107) Pictograph of A PERSON with the horizontal line representing arms outstretched to describe something very LARGE. *Primitive = St. Bernard Dog

108) In the summertime, EVENING upon EVENING combines to make MANY good times.

109) EVENING. Pictograph - simplified variation of MOON (and the katakana for TA).

110) In this elegant kanji, we see WATER in the EVENING is seen to represent EVENTIDE. | Fittingly, WATER appears in the kanji for EVENTIDE.

111) In the EVENING when imagination runs free, a MAGIC WAND is used to magically transport you from the inside to the OUTSIDE.

112) Late in the EVENING a soldier identifies himself by using his MOUTH to call out his NAME.

113) The extending ledge of the CLIFF marks the vacancy left by the falling STONE, represented here as a "MOUTH" or square shape.(Pictograph of a steep CLIFF).

114) In a movie-star look-a-like contest, in lieu of a big star, a SMALL MOON is awarded to the contestant with the greatest RESEMBLANCE to a movie star. *Primitive = fire-extinguisher, candle, sparks

115) ROCK is melted by a FIRE EXTINGUISHER spraying NITRATE. | ROCK help give a hint as to the origins of NITRATE.

116) A ROCK breaks up into 9 x 10 = 90 pieces when it is properly SMASHED. | ROCK lends a SMASHING presence to this kanji.

117) ROCKS which are only LITTLE DROPS are shown to be SAND. | ROCK gives a key hint in the kanji for SAND.

118) Long before the invention of the carpenters PLANE, people used knives and machetes (or here SABERS) to smooth out their woodwork. If you have ever seen the process, you will have been amazed at the speed and agility with which the adept can PLANE a hunk of wood into shape. Indeed, you can almost see the sparks fly from their SABERS.

119) SMALL, funny looking headdress and the HUMAN LEGS represent a medicine man trying to attract the sun's RAYS. *Primitive = shaman

120) The DROP added to LARGE means PLUMP.

121) Several ST. BERNARD DOGS sit around a table, ready to eat, with their FOUR MOUTHS wide open, gripping UTENSILS. | Since a MOUTH is the usual objective for UTENSIL, it is used in this kanji.

122) People crinkle up their NOSE at an unwashed ST. BERNARD DOG, thinking, "he's STINKING".

123) A love-struck poet exclaims "Among WOMAN are FEW, so EXQUISITE as you". | WOMAN lends her lovely presence to the kanji for EXQUISITE.

124) You eliminate all but a FEW things from your line of EYE-sight see to FOCUS on something.

125) On a CLIFF, getting hot playing under the SUN, a child sheds his THICK jacket.

126) A St. BERNARD DOG who thinks he CAN become human is STRANGE.

127) Pictograph of a STREAM.

128) 3 DROPS in a STREAM separate the STATES of a country.

129) Floating down a STREAM are chopped-off HEADS, indicating the fate of those who don't OBEY the powers that be.

130) Pictograph of CANE falling into the WATER, with a katakana FU on the left and a RAG on the right representing the splashing WATER. *Primitive = liquid

131) The extra DROP in WATER creates an image of a snowflake-shaped ICICLE hanging from your house.

132) A DROP of WATER comes straight down from ETERNITY.

133) WHITE WATER bubbles up from a SPRING. (Popular). | WATER of course will appear in the kanji for SPRING.

134) CLIFF SPRINGS give rise to MEADOWS.

135) As you walk along a MEADOW, a man with a huge HEAD jumps out of nowhere and asks you to sign a PETITION. | HEAD lends a certain organizational sense to the kanji for PETITION.

136) A subtle warning, this kanji states that you my head off to ETERNITY if you're not careful while SWIMMING in the WATER.

137) A poor tourist, thirsty due to lack of coke is SEDUCED by the WATER of a nearby MARSH, and ends up drowning in quicksand!

138) WATER is deepest IN the OPEN SEA.

139) CRAFT-y WATER becomes a CREEK.

140) A LIQUID with NEEDLES in it is a booby-trapped SOUP.

141) Added to this is the MIST through which we can still see the MOON as it looms over the incoming TIDE. | WATER of course appears in the kanji for TIDE.

142) WATER from the cliff-top MEADOW is the SOURCE for the whole community.

143) Certain LIQUIDS on the TONGUE makes it more LIVELY and talkative.

144) WATER from a FIRE EXTINGUISHER - EXTINGUISHES.

145) When asked if he is going to jump into the WATER for a swim, an enthusiastic TEENAGER says, "BUT OF COURSE".

146) WATER that CAN make it all the way to the ocean is designated as a full-fledged RIVER.

147) WATER WHITE means you stay OVERNIGHT.

148) When the MOON got very OLD, it lost all the WATER that it had on its surface to a huge LAKE on the earth.

149) A WATER-RULER measures FATHOMS. | WATER provides a hint in the kanji for FATHOM.

150) Pictograph of SOIL. Primitives = ground, dirt, land.

151) A MOUTH with SOIL in it SPITS it out. (Popular). | MOUTH of course comes into play in the kanji for SPIT.

152) An artificial CLIFF, as a prop in a play, is covered with SOIL, but can't withstand the PRESSURE, and collapses.

153) SOIL that's STRANGE is found on the CAPE. | The kanji for CAPE fittingly contains SOIL since it is a representation of a section of ground.

154) SOIL is covered with cans of SPAM to form an artificial HEDGE. | SOIL is what is SPANNED by a HEDGE in this kanji.

155) SOIL is piled on top of SOIL over the ages and eventually flattens down and turns into a SQUARE JEWEL. *Primitive = ivy

156) IVY falling off a chimney is GLUED back on, a solution which receives the SEAL of approval from the homeowner.

157) Standing on an IVY covered CLIFF, you gaze out over the WATER toward the HORIZON. | WATER generally represents the dividing line of the HORIZON, thus justifying its presence in this kanji

158) Due to lack of new recruits, SOIL surrounding a BUDDHIST TEMPLE is covered with GLUE to trap unwitting tourists into joining the priesthood, or at least to hear a sales pitch.

159) In the olden days, looking out at the position of the SUN from a BUDDHIST TEMPLE was the only way to tell the TIME.

160) SOIL with a DROP breaking its smooth surface is made LEVEL by a LADLE. | The SOIL of the ground is usually LEVEL, explaining its appearance here.

161) A PERSON who is a human torch has two DROPS of FIRE spraying out from him. *Primitive = hearth-fire, fireplace, conflagration

162) FIRE doubles itself up to form an INFLAMMATION.

163) A FIRE on your HEAD can cause considerable ANXIETY.

164) WATER poured on a fiery INFLAMMATION, makes the fire THIN out and eventually fade away.

165) A FIRE perched atop a NAIL makes a kanji LAMP. The light cast by a FIRE is included in LAMP.

166) FIRE is used to clear a RICE FIELD on a Japanese FARM (popular).

167) FLOOD and FIRE combine to create a major DISASTER.

168) Huge FIRE under a CLIFF leaves nothing but ASHES.

169) FORTUNE-TELLER at a CAMPFIRE predicts you'll get SPOTS on your clothes if you get any closer to the fire.(FIRE as it appears when squashed at the bottom of a kanji. *Primitive = cooking-fire, campfire).

170) An old SHOESHINE BOX is thrown onto a CAMP-FIRE to provide some ILLUMINATION to hobos reading old paperback novels. | FIRE casts its light in the kanji for ILLUMINATE.

171) BOUND UP, dragged through a RICE-FIELD, and fried over a COOKING FIRE, is what usually happens to a kanji FISH.

172) WATER combines with FISH to create an image of someone FISHING.

173) The GROUND covered by a RICE FIELD is one RI (about 4 kilometres). *Primitive = computer

174) A COMPUTER tossed onto a CAMP-FIRE ends up a charred BLACK colour.

175) BLACK SOIL is poured into a fountain pen, and comes out of the other end as BLACK INK.

176) A FISH with a COMPUTER in its head is a CARP. How else could they figure out how to swim upstream? | Fittingly, FISH will appear in the kanji for CARP.

177) Churning throughout the dark hours until NIGHTBREAK, a COMPUTER churns out an enormous QUANTITY of printout.

178) The value of that whizzy new COMPUTER you just bought has predictably fallen as if from a CLIFF - leaving it with a value of one RIN. (1/1000 of a yen!)

179) Once SOIL gets into a COMPUTER, it's useless, so you might just as BURY it.

180) At a convention of "The Brotherhood", all the participants wear a HOOD and pledge that when they open their MOUTHS they will speak with ONE and the SAME voice. *Primitive = monk. (Hood is similar to WIND, but with the bottom right turned in. *Primitive = glass hood, pheasant glass).

181) WATER only, not alcohol, is accepted as a drink by the MONK who is visiting your house and relaxing in the DEN.

182) The PART OF THE BODY most important to the MONK is the TRUNK, where he focuses his meditation. | PART OF THE BODY plays a key role in the kanji for TRUNK.

183) The DROP on the HOOD acts as a kind of pointing antennae, while the MOUTH of the wearer informs you that what you are looking for is over YONDER.

184) A very SMALL MOUTH is kept in a GLASS HOOD, as reminder of an ESTEEMED opponent who came to a sad end.

185) A CHILD in a HOUSE feverishly studies kanji CHARACTERS.(Pictograph of a HOUSE).

186) Using GLUE to catch an intruder heading into a HOUSE is an alert GUARD.

187) A little pitcher who practices throwing strikes off the side of his HOUSE since the very BEGINNING grows up to pitch a PERFECT game.

188) In a voice that SPANS the HOUSE-tops, a coming event is PROCLAIMED for all to hear.

189) A HOUSE is surrounded by lighted CANDLES so you can find it in the WEE HOURS. | In a HOUSE is generally where the WEE HOURS are spent.

190) A WOMAN can RELAX in her HOUSE.

191) A HOUSE is fittingly a place to have a BANQUET, here prepared by a talented WOMAN. There is an entire DAY making the BANQUET interrupting her RELAXATION).

192) A HOUSE which is STRANGE DRAWS NEAR in a nightmare.

193) This full kanji for WEALTH shows the huge HOUSE that the WEALTH can buy. | A HOUSE is shown as the place to keep one's WEALTH.

194) SHELL-CURRENCY which can buy enough NAILS to build a HOUSE comprises a life's SAVINGS.

195) This kanji can mean TREE or WOOD.

196) Two TREES make a GROVE.

197) Three TREES make a FOREST.

198) Contrary to popular belief, JUDAS received an ivy-coloured SQUARE JEWEL for his infamous betrayal, and the location of the payment was under a TREE. | TREE fittingly is found in this kanji. JAPANESE JUDAS TREE.

199) An OAK TREE is painted WHITE to disguise it as a birch, so that it won't be chopped down by foresters seeking the highly valued OAK. | TREE fittingly is found in this kanji.

200) The WOOD which is 9 X 10 = 90 times more expensive than the picture itself is the FRAME. Each corner of a WOODEN FRAME is NINETY degrees.

201) You climb a TREE, and find a FIRE-EXTINGUISHER at the TREETOP, kept there in case of a forest fire. TREE fittingly is found in this kanji.

202) A book-end made from WOOD holds up two books about the MOON on a SHELF. (The MOONS almost resemble the binders of books as seen from the side).

203) An APRICOT TREE will grow out of a MOUTH that eats too many APRICOTS. | TREE lends a plat like presence in this kanji an APRICOT.

204) A TREE which looks the SAME as someone named "Paul", is named the "PAULOWNIA". | TREE fittingly is found in this kanji for the PAULOWNIA tree.

205) A TREE growing STRAIGHTAWAY is a fast-growing PLANT.

206) A TREE beside a TOMBSTONE gets depressed at the company, so WITHERS and dies. | TREE and OLD both provide important hints in this kanji for WITHER.

207) To use a TREE as MAGIC WAND is thought to be rather CRUDE behaviour.

208) TREES GLUED together form the structures of a VILLAGE (Revised).

209) Sitting in TREES near a border, enemy soldiers EYE each other, INTER-acting in such a way as to create an INTER-national crisis. | The INTER-locking EYES provide a key hint to this kanji.

210) A TREE which was blown down by the WIND serves as an impromptu DESK.

211) A "cross-cut" from a TREE becomes a BOOK.

212) All the TREES in a preserve have a HOOK attached to them, from which a TAG is hung, identifying it for tourists and scientists.

213) In these days of deforestation, as seen high on a CLIFF, each tree that disappears from a GROVE marks another DAY on our CALENDAR. | The temporal DAY lends it presence to CALENDAR.

214) You RELAX after a falling TREE narrowly misses you, and figuring you've got some time left on this world, you go ahead and PLAN your future.

215) A FIRE burns up a NEST, leaving only PARCHED remains. (GOODS shown atop a TREE give a pictorial representation of a NEST).

216) A TREE with a SHORT LINE at the top indicates that it is NOT YET ready to be harvested.

217) A TREE with a LONG HORIZONTAL LINE at the top has grown to its EXTREMITY.

218) WATER travels to great EXTREMITIES when propelled by a huge SPLASH. | Of course WATER is going to found in the kanji for SPLASH.

219) The MOUTH is NOT ready to stop tasting that delicious FLAVOUR.

220) A WOMAN who is NOT YET mature is a YOUNGER SISTER.

221) A DROP in a scientific experiment has NOT YET changed colour - but if it turns VERMILION, then the test is positive.

222) A WOODEN board with VERMILION coloured markings could have been the first "Big Board" of the Japanese STOCK exchange.

223) The FLOWERS leaning to the RIGHT point toward the fountain of YOUTH. (One cross stroke with two downward strokes creates a FLOWER)

224) The "EARLIEST" FLOWER is, of course, GRASS.

225) FLOWER grows OLD, SUFFERS.

226) In a HOTHOUSE/HOUSE OF FLOWERS, a gentle gardener SEES that his plants are growing slowly but is nonetheless very TOLERANT.

227) WATER and FLOWERS are seen in an ACUPUNCTURIST's office, so as to DILUTE the patient's fear. | WATER is not surprisingly found in the kanji for DILUTE.

228) Here we see a pretty picture of FLOWERING LEAVES on TREE.

229) A famous impressionist is buried next to a TREE in a GRAVEYARD, and it soon becomes a tradition for aspiring comedians to stand under the tree and practice their IMITATIONS. FLOWERS, each and every DAY, are carried by a faithful ST. BERNARD to the GRAVEYARD of its departed master.

230) Glancing down into a pool of WATER in a GRAVEYARD, you see a VAGUE reflection, perhaps of a ghost sneaking up behind you. | Since things seen through WATER appear VAGUE, it's an appropriate element for this kanji.

231) In a GRAVEYARD, fresh SOIL covers a GRAVE.

232) We can distract ourselves from the fate which awaits us all, i.e. The GRAVEYARD, by filling our DAYS with the activities through which we earn our LIVELIHOOD

233) The MOON shining into a GRAVEYARD shines through the MEMBRANE of your skin, showing that perhaps you are turning into a ghost.

234) FLOWER-ing in a FIELD is a SEEDLING.FLOWER gives an idea of the plant-like nature of SEEDLING.

235) These lines actually represent the back of a TURTLE, which in ancient times were read as a PORTENT of things to come. (Popular). *Alternate primitive = tortoise shell

236) In our version of the Momotarou story (who was born from a PEACH), the TREE with the TORTOISE SHELL on top is the PEACH TREE.

237) An ominous looking EYE is embedded in a TORTOISE SHELL, STARING at you as you enter into a primitive structure in search of a sacred treasure. | EYE lends an unblinking presence appears in the kanji for STARE.

238) Pictograph - of the huge St. BERNARD DOG standing next to a small DOT of a CHIHUAHUA DOG. *Primitive = Chihuahua

239) A TURTLE, by having a race with a CHIHUAHUA (instead of a hare), upsets the STATUS QUO. The left side of PORTENT becomes a TURTLE.

240) A pitch-BLACK CHIHUAHUA barks wildly as you pass by, until you suddenly command, "SILENCE!".

241) The MEAT of a CHIHUAHUA, baked on a CAMP-FIRE, is not the SORT OF THING you'd expect in a fancy restaurant.

242) As a forest FIRE rages above, a WILD DOG ducks underwater and breathes through a REED, represented by the FLOWER. | FLOWER gives a clue as to the plant-like nature of REED. DOG when it appears on the left side of a kanji changes to a WILD DOG.

243) WILD DOGS are HUNTED by the palace GUARD. | WILD DOGS lend a sense of the HUNT to this kanji.

244) A "SEEDLING" of a WILD DOG is a CAT. | The middling sized animal WILD DOG helps here to give shape to a CAT. WILD DOGS love chasing CATS so much that they plant CAT SEEDLINGS so they will have even more to chase.

245) Attempting unsuccessfully to RECLINE on a bed of NEEDLES in India is an sacred COW.

246) COWS rampaging in a BUDDHIST TEMPLE are the subject of a news SPECIAL. At the Hindu TEMPLE the COW would be considered particularly SPECIAL.

247) From a sacred COW's MOUTH comes a REVELATION. (Popular).

248) The mutant COW who walks on HUMAN LEGS marches proudly BEFORE the rest of the herd.

249) WATER, BEFORE a meal, is used to WASH up. |WATER is of course found in the kanji for WASH.

250) Two CANES (one curved) are accidentally JAMMED IN to an UMBRELLA in an UMBRELLA stand.

251) All the RICE-FIELDS are JAMMED IN to our very small WORLD.

252) Under a huge UMBRELLA covered with FLOWERS and supported by a WOODEN POLE, people sip at TEA.

253) This kanji uses MEETING and MOUTH to draw a picture of two pipes MEETING, with one pipe going into the "MOUTH" of the other, a perfect FIT. Everyone gathers under ONE UMBRELLA in a MEETING.

254) In some very fertile SOIL, FLOWERS grow so tall that they FIT together to form a huge PAGODA.

255) A KING might say "I am number ONE", with the capital "I" used in this instance being visually borrowed from the western alphabet, combined with kanji for ONE. *Primitive = sceptre

256) The DROPS associated with a KING are ball shaped JEWELS. *Primitive = ball

257) All the JEWELS in the national treasury are HOUSED in an enormous TREASURE chest. | HOUSE is shown to be the place where TREASURE is kept.

258) KING likes VERMILLION coloured PEARLS.

259) The KING, lacking political vision, SEES only the PRESENT.

260) WILD DOGS are ordered by the cruel KING to be unleashed upon the LUNATICS.

261) As the colour WHITE is sometimes used to represent enhanced status, here it is used to represent a "WHITE KING", i.e., The king in charge of all other kings, thus the EMPEROR.

262) The square of MOUTH mounted on a SCEPTRE creates an image of a television DISPLAY.

263) A KING raises an UMBRELLA high over his head during a picnic on a potentially rainy day, to indicate that he "ate the WHOLE thing", and wants to be served even more.

264) A WHOLE TREE is needed to create a kind of gigantic PLUG. (Umbrella + tree = whole)

265) That which makes a KING out of the COMPUTER is its LOGIC.

266) A DROP of a KING is a LORD. *Primitive = candlestick

267) WATER is POURED onto CANDLESTICK to douse it.

268) In the famous biblical story, Samson regained his strength when his hair grew back, and knocked down the PILLARS to which he was chained. Here we see that those two PILLARS were composed of a TREE and a CANDLESTICK, respectively.

269) The KING sits under an UMBRELLA as each of his vassals presents him with two DROPS of GOLD. *Primitive = metal

270) METAL BEFORE was PIG-IRON.

271) A hillbilly granny speaks of the GOLDEN rule and quotes from the good BOOK as she gives local boys a BOWL-style haircut.

272) The METAL which MONKS prefer is COPPER pennies, due to their vow of poverty. | METAL provides the flavour in this kanji for COPPER.

273) A METAL LADLE is used to hold the bait for a fisherman busy ANGLING. | The METAL of the hook used is shown in this kanji for ANGLING.

274) METAL is used to make NEEDLES.

275) METAL with a NAME carved into it is an INSCRIPTION (popular). | METAL provides the medium in this kanji for INSCRIPTION.

276) GOLD TRULY TRANQUILIZES.

277) The NECK represents a "bottle-neck" (narrow passage) in a ROAD-WAY.

278) When we accept someones GUIDANCE, we permit ourselves to be GLUED to a certain ROAD or WAY of doing something and try to stick to it.

279) TEN ROADS come together to form a mega-CROSSING. | ROAD provides the flavour in this kanji for CROSSING.

280) At a race which finishes at a CROSSING, a FISHHOOK swoops down to take the winner to the victory stand as the SWIFTEST of all. ROAD provides its sense of motion to the kanji for SWIFT.

281) The speaking cow of REVELATION gives up its secrets as we travel the ROAD to understanding the CREATION of the universe.

282) The bright WHITE lines painted down the middle of the ROAD are subconsciously URGING you to drive sensibly and not weave between lanes.

283) A tortoise runs clean out of his TORTOISE-SHELL and flees down the ROAD as he ESCAPES from prison.

284) A BLADE to cut out a new ROAD, thus allowing access to the local ENVIRONS.

285) A FLOODED-out ROAD is PATROLLED by police. | ROAD here provides a sense of movement to the kanji for PATROL.

286) *primitives = vehicle, car, cart, wagon

287) With a CAR on the ROAD you can TAKE ALONG your kids.

288) CARS, NINE in all, passing over the same spot create a RUT. | CAR provides a hint as to the cause of a RUT in this kanji.

289) When going to a BUTCHERS MEETING, a CAR is the favoured means of TRANSPORT. | CAR gives the means of TRANSPORT in this kanji.

290) ANIMAL HORNS at a BUTCHER's shop are displayed prominently IN FRONT.

291) The persuasive MOUTH tries to convince you that EACH pair of STILTS is perfectly made. Or you could just imagine a pair of human legs stepping on EACH mouth.

292) In the not so distant future, EACH TREE will have an "endangered-species" STATUS.

293) A farmer has so many RICE-FIELDS he names EACH with an ABBREVIATION.

294) EACH HOUSE provides a home for an honoured GUEST.

295) To keep track of all your GUESTS, you imagine their names written on their HEAD, and what better part to do this than the FOREHEAD.

296) A massive HEAD on a pair of STILTS wanders down the beach in mid-SUMMER. Note that the animal legs of HEAD have been replaced by the WALKING LEGS.

297) WALKING LEGS carelessly kick about improperly litter blowing in the WIND which has been improperly DISPOSED.

298) STILTS used to climb a TREE suddenly break like a TWIG.

299) From EACH FLOWER, WATER FALLS.

300) The wearer of the CROWN takes too many polls and makes his decisions based on however the WIND is blowing, thus causing his opinions to be regarded as SUPERFLUOUS.

301) A leader wears a CROWN as he rides his VEHICLE into battle at the head of his ARMY. A CAR provides the means of transportation for an ARMY in this kanji.

302) A SHAMAN takes a ride in a CHARIOT wearing a RADIANT smile. You may recall the SMALL combined with HUMAN LEGS, which formed the shaman of the kanji for RAY.

303) CHARIOTS roll along a ROAD as they CARRY goods to the front lines.

304) In this full kanji representation of CROWN, we find that in the BEGINNING of his reign, an ill-fitting CROWN was GLUED to a young king's head, until he finally got used to the idea of wearing the CROWN.

305) FLOWERS fall about your EYES and you receive a CROWN in a coronation, all during the EVENING as you DREAM. EVENING slips subtly into the kanji for DREAM.

306) SOIL thrown up by a moving WHIRLWIND leaves a huge PIT.

307) The TOPHAT and MOUTH replace the antenna of YONDER to create an image of a TALL person who can see way over YONDER.

308) A TALL CHILD RECEIVES many gifts.

309) TALL CHILDREN who are FAT must sit on the GROUND at tight-budgeted CRAM SCHOOLS.

310) The TALL, FAT CHILD from CRAM SCHOOL takes a hot bath heated by a CAMP-FIRE, and MELLOWS out.

311) A TALL CROWN held up by a huge NAIL forms an image of a PAVILION.

312) Both the TALL and the SMALL are ruled by pronouncements from the CAPITAL.

313) WATER is tossed onto the CAPITAL building to REFRESH the moribund ideas of the politicians inside. A dash of WATER helps make things REFRESHING in this kanji.

314) A DAY spent in the nation's CAPITAL reveals some beautiful SCENERY. | The SUN shines brightly, illuminating the SCENERY of this kanji.

315) A FISH as big as the nation's CAPITAL is said to be a WHALE. | Though not technically correct from a biological classification standpoint, FISH nonetheless appears in the kanji for WHALE.

316) An UMBRELLA over a LIDDED CROCK forms a makeshift COTTAGE.

317) The making of a GLASS HOOD involves placing it over a LIDDED CROCK to make sure it has exactly the right CIRCUMFERENCE.

318) A "LAP", or CIRCUMFERENCE, along the ROAD of life, is organized by a unit of a WEEK.

319) Pictograph of a GENTLEMAN.

320) A special kind of SAMURAI eschews the sword and, instead opens his MOUTH wishes GOOD LUCK to one and all. The MOUTH wishing GOOD LUCK appears in this kanji.

321) TURTLE-SAMURAI are ROBUST Warrior Turtles.

322) WARRIOR TURTLES wear decorative FLOWERS on their lapels as they guard a VILLA where political talks are being held. FLOWER lends a sense of a country atmosphere to VILLA.

323) A SAMURAI behind a table SELLSCROWNS as his HUMAN LEGS show underneath.

324) In a SCHOOLHOUSE, a CHILD STUDIES.

325) We are advised that in a SCHOOLHOUSE, everything you SEE should be MEMORIZED.

326) In the learning environment of a SCHOOLHOUSE, a poor, dying TREE rescued by students recovers its health and FLOURISHES. | The plant-like nature of TREE is found here in the kanji for FLOURISH.

327) A WRITING BRUSH drawing the kanji for the SUN creates a picture of WRITING.

328) A container of WATER, to a drying WRITING BRUSH, is like a safe HAVEN. (Its in the place name Tsuwano )

329) A COW is made by a TASKMASTER to BREED. TASKMASTER lends his authoritative presence to this kanji. BREED already you COW!

330) A CARPENTERS SQUARE is used by a TASKMASTER on his charges as an outlet for his AGGRESSION. TASKMASTER lends his authoritative presence to this kanji.

331) A SHELL is berated by a TASKMASTER for FAILING to produce a pearl. TASKMASTER lends his authoritative presence to this kanji.

332) A TREE is used by a resourceful TASKMASTER as a SHEET of paper.

333) In Egypt a TOMBSTONE of an ancient TASKMASTER is discovered by HAPPENSTANCE.

334) FLOWERY PHRASES are used by a servant speaking to a TASKMASTER who is held in AWE. TASKMASTER lends his authoritative presence to this kanji.

335) LINES above a MOUTH will later become letters which show what it SAYS.

336) AWESOME WORDS ADMONISH.

337) Harsh WORDS which sting like a NEEDLE are used to draft an unwilling accomplice into a PLOT to overthrow the king.

338) In an animal version of "Jailhouse Rock", WILD DOGS backup a tenor CHIHUAHUA as they sing into a MICROPHONE at a PRISON show. Inclusion of the rambunctious WILD DOG indicates PRISON time is no picnic.

339) WORDS are EXACTLY as you want them in the final REVISION. | Very often we REVISE WORDS, thus making WORDS a key primitive in this kanji.

340) WORDS that CHASTISE stick like GLUE.

341) WORDS come forth in a STREAM, giving INSTRUCTION (popular).

342) In the same we are interested in a special news bulletin, commoners in the old days were SEDUCED by the prospect of hearing the WORDS of an IMPERIAL EDICT.

343) WORDS are PACKED into an AEROSAL CAN.

344) WORDS from an inventive TONGUE tell a tall TALE.

345) WORDS seem to last an ETERNITY to a bored student listening to a RECITATION.

346) Reciting in front of a MICROPHONE in a BUDDHIST TEMPLE is someone reciting a sacred POEM.

347) Seeing a MICROPHONE, I step up and deliver the WORD.

348) Convincing WORDS can SELL you on something - if you take the time to READ them.

349) Just as a guitarist TUNES his guitar, a singer will sing the WORDS of the song over and over again (kind of a "LAP") to get the proper TUNE.

350) WORDS have a tendency to become INFLAMED in fiery DISCUSSION. | WORDS of course figure into the kanji for DISCUSS.

351) WORDS of warning are ignored by the YOUNG as they go and do foolish things without their parent's CONSENT.

352) While trying to take over the MICROPHONE, a drunk at a MEETING of BUTCHERS is sharply REBUKED by his colleagues.

353) An ARROW that is well CRAFTED makes an archer very STYLISH.

354) At an open MICROPHONE, the STYLE of aspiring performers is put to the TEST.

355) 2 QUIVERS are seen laying together, forming the numeral "II".

356) The GROUND most familiar to a COWBOY is that of his home on the RANGE.Cowboy with his mouth to the floor after the fiesta and ground)

357) Taking SHELL-CURRENCY, by using a NEEDLE to threaten those attending a FIESTA, is a BURGLAR.

358) During THANKSGIVING, one gives thanks for the TREES, assuming one lives on a PLANTATION.

359) A VEHICLE on THANKSGIVING carries an enormous LOAD of food to the dinner. | The CAR provides a means of transport in this kanji for LOAD.

360) FLOWERS are snatched up by a PARADE of fed-up gardeners, because they have OVERGROWN the whole town.

361) A PARADE of men marching and shaving with razor BLADES, TURNS INTO a dark alley because the leaders were so busy shaving they lost their way. (Or a parade TURNS INTO a dagger-throwing bout with just one extra stroke to the character.)

362) Resourceful early architects of Incan times were able to take mere SOIL and make it TURN INTO a huge CASTLE.

363) At an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, the act of standing in front of a MICROPHONE often TURNS INTO a SINCERE resolution to break an addiction.

364) A MARCH of feminist WOMEN INTIMIDATES male chauvinists.

365) WATER and FIRE combine in an unstoppable MARCH which DESTROYS anything in its path.

366) Dropping out to seek a drink of WATER as their MOUTHS becomes dry, the number of participants in a MARCH starts to DWINDLE rapidly. | WATER comes into play here in the sense of a DWINDLING water supply.

367) Construction workers wear their kid's swimming pool FLOATS as they work on a crickety WOODEN SCAFFOLD.

368) METAL which FLOATS through the economy is the simple COIN.

369) In the WATER of a pool, children have to ride in a FLOAT if they leave the SHALLOW end.

370) Moving arm of signpost drops to say STOP.

371) STOP your busy life for a FEW seconds, and go out and take a refreshing WALK.

372) To WALK across the WATER is to FORD it. | Of course WATER will be found in FORD.

373) If you endure an aggressive salesman's pitch, it may feel as if someone is WALKING on your HEAD, because he says the same thing, REPEATEDLY.

374) A FOOTPRINT on the MOON shows what can be accomplished when people reach an AGREEMENT to do something.

375) The man leading a group of people on the beach cries "STOP, we shall plant the UMBRELLA here!" And UNDERTAKES to put in the ground.

376) A GROVE OF TREES at the top of a CLIFF has a STOP SIGN in front of it to prevent desperate students from leaping off it once they see their CURRICULUM for the next semester.

377) A QUIVER contains enough arrows to STOP an oncoming WARRIOR.

378) SHELL-CURRENCY must be paid by WARRIORS in a LEVY needed for better uniforms.

379) This pictograph represents a FOOTPRINT "toeing the line" in an example of CORRECT behaviour (popular).

380) WORDS, if spoken by someone who recalls the events CORRECTLY, can be damning EVIDENCE. | WORDS are often used as EVIDENCE.

381) A politically CORRECT TASKMASTER shows you the error of your ways if you deviate from the proscribed POLITICS. TASKMASTER lends his authoritative presence to this kanji.

382) To properly MEND a fix-me-up HOUSE every weekend requires great DETERMINATION.

383) DETERMINED METAL is a LOCK!

384) SOIL must be MENDED after being RUN over by thousands of runners in a marathon

385) A method of SEDUCTION which is so effective it actually seems to RUN and catch the "seducee" TRANSCENDS the run of the mill tactics.

386) In a marathon, a MAGIC WAND blocks RUNNERS, and raises up to allow them to PROCEED with caution.

387) Participants in a RUNNING PARADE shed a DROP of sweat as they struggle to SURPASS one another.

388) A DAY is spent MENDING clothes, JUST SO you have something to decent to wear that night.

389) The "TOPIC" of the day is kind of like a newspaper headline, which must be chosen "JUST SO", such that people can nod their HEADS in agreement as the read the TOPIC.

390) Although it is popularly thought the little Dutch boy saved the DIKE by placing his thumb in a hole, what he actually did was place a clump of SOIL, JUST SO, to plug the leak, and then ran for help. SOIL plays a roll in DIKE because that is what many have been built from.

391) Due to lack of material, frustrated architects finally throw up their hands, and use WRITING BRUSHES piled upon one another which STRETCH toward the sky to BUILD a skyscraper.

392) A DROP of sweat drops from aerobics participants as they STOP and STRETCH during a PROLONGED workout.

393) At a Christmas party, revellers sing into MICROPHONE, and then PROLONG the fun by not going home, in a celebration of the NATIVITY.

394) Found in a GROVE next to the entrance to your favourite ZOO is the CORNERSTONE of a building which used to be there. STONE of course is found in the kanji for CORNERSTONE.

395) Next to the WOMAN he is to wed, in a ZOO, because that's where they met exactly one MONTH ago, stands surprised BRIDEGROOM. WOMAN as usual is present in a kanji relating to marriage.

396) At the top we see a TOPHAT. At the bottom, folds of a GARMENT, spit into 2 and 2.

397) At the first THANKSGIVING, to ensure they had the very best CLOTHES for the historic occasion, the pilgrims enlisted the services of an accomplished TAILOR. CLOTHES of course appear in the kanji for TAILOR.

398) In the spirit of making a fashion symbol from an animal, such as an alligator or a horse, the newest symbol is the Warrior-turtle line of CLOTHING, the latest in casual ATTIRE.

399) A COMPUTER wearing a TOPHAT & SCARF is an android, as you can see if you open him from the BACK

400) Getting SOIL in his POCKET during a tough race is a DEMOLITION derby driver. | SOIL is included in this kanji due to the idea of something being DEMOLISHED right down to the GROUND.Different to the book)

401) A poor little boy from a Dickens story wearing a tattered TOPHAT and SCARF, his MOUTH open in hunger, presents a PATHETIC sight.

402) DISTANCE-MARKERS on the ROAD show the DISTANCE travelled. (Lidded Crock + scarf = mileage marker)

403) Wielding a CROCK-POT against WILD DOGS who are attacking his master, all while wearing a SCARF, is a pet MONKEY. | The middling sized animal WILD DOG helps here to give shape to a MONKEY.

404) When a spy dons a CLOAK & DAGGER for the FIRST TIME, he is hooked for good on the thrill of "the game".

405) A TOWEL hanging BY ONE'S SIDE as you walk to the shower is referred to as LINEN.

406) A TOWEL makes only a MEDIOCRE SAIL.

407) A TOWEL with a WEALTH of information on it is a HANGING SCROLL recovered from the past. | TOWEL lends it sense of length to this kanji for HANGING SCROLL.

408) A TOWEL used to protect EYES from SUN is a CAP (popular).

409) GRAVEYARD combines with TOWEL to create an image of the final CURTAIN. | The TOWEL fits nicely in this kanji for CURTAIN.

410) A TOWEL blocking the SUN over a SHAMAN is a CANOPY. | The TOWEL fittingly plays a role in this kanji for CANOPY.

411) GOLD and WHITE buttons flashing on a TOWEL create an image of a BROCADE. METAL provides a hint in this kanji for BROCADE

412) All the vendors dress in TOPHATS and wave TOWELS to attract your attention at the local MARKET

413) The WOMAN who sells things at the MARKET is your ELDER SISTER.

414) A type of MEAT being sold in a the MARKET are the LUNGS of some animal.

415) BELT BUCKLES combines with APRON to create an image of SASH.

416) For some reason a SASH has been left in the WATER of a STAGNATING puddle. | WATER sitting too long in one place starts to STAGNATE.

417) Attached to a TREE with a BELT is a SABRE, representing a THORN. | The pointed SABRE provides a hint in this kanji for THORN.

418) COWS put on BELTS to carry SABRES as they undertake a revolt against the cruel SYSTEM of slaughter

419) The SYSTEM for marketing CLOTHES to the very rich insists that they be MADE IN the best fashion houses.

420) VEHICLES are lifted up to a RISING CLOUD by a tornado as they REVOLVE madly in mid-air. | The wheels of a CAR provide hints to the meaning of the kanji REVOLVE.

421) Throwing FLOWERS into a RISING CLOUD is a new TECHNIQUE for forecasting the weather

422) The CEILING of the sky makes you grab a TOWEL due to getting drenched by the (four) DROPS of RAIN

423) RAIN combines with RISING CLOUD to create the full image for CLOUD.

424) In an elegantly simple kanji, blocking out the SUN is the CLOUD of CLOUDY WEATHER.

425) RAIN over a RICE-FIELD indicates THUNDER.

426) FROSTY, the snowman, plays the role of a bad guy as he takes a form which is "INTER-" rain and snow, i.e., FROST, and spoils some crops.

427) WALKING LEGS slipping on the ICE are a sure sign of WINTER.

428) A holy ST. BERNARD DOG tries to jump through the CEILING straight up into HEAVEN.

429) TREES are used by guardian ANGELS to quickly form a BRIDGE for their unknowing charges.

430) A WOMAN who is "pretty as an ANGEL" is very ATTRACTIVE. | WOMAN lends her graceful presence to the kanji for ATTRACTIVE.

431) Pictograph of a vase STANDING UP.

432) Needing WATER for its plants, a VASE starts CRYING.

433) The first one two put the SUNFLOWER in the VASE wins a BADGE.

434) Two TEENAGERS balancing VASES on their heads bump chests as they each VIE to knock the vase off the other's head in a teen competition.

435) STANDING with CROWN askew, a bath TOWEL around his waist, is the great SOVEREIGN, called from his bath for an emergency.

436) STANDING on top of a COMPUTER is the JUVENILE delinquent/computer hacker of your neighbourhood, as usual performing some kind of antic to draw attention.

437) The EYE of a JUVENILE contains a PUPIL. | EYE fittingly appears in the kanji for PUPIL.

438) Made from METAL, with the crack put in it when a JUVENILE delinquent tried to steal it, is the Liberty BELL.

439) In this Las Vegas-like image, a VASE/pot of gold sits atop a CANOPY/tent, inside which HUMAN LEGS dance atop a square MOUTH-like table, all of which urge you to go ahead in and see if you can MAKE A DEAL - with a blackjack dealer.

440) In a wry commentary, it's stated that the WOMAN in your life who is an ANTIQUE is your LEGITIMATE WIFE.

441) ANTIQUES being sold by the ROAD-side is considered SUITABLE by the town officials only if the seller is wearing a three-piece suit.

442) WATER from an ANTIQUE faucet DRIPS all night long.

443) As a weapon of last resort, ANTIQUES are taken by a loyal TASKMASTER and thrown at the oncoming ENEMY. | TASKMASTER lends his authoritative presence to this kanji.

444) SPOON differs from SEVEN in that the first stroke does not cut across the second.

445) Two people sitting on the ground, back to back, huddle against the NORTH wind (popular).

446) NORTH and PART OF THE BODY here combine to create the kanji for STATURE

447) In a marketing test, a sample is put on each of TWO SPOONS in an attempt to COMPARE the taste of competing products.

448) After our DAYS are over, our living conditions will be undoubtedly be COMPARED to their own by our DESCENDANTS. | The temporal DAY somehow lends a connotation to this kanji for DESCENDANTS.

449) COMPARE the WHITENESS of clothes to make sure they ALL have properly cleaned.

450) The word MIX conjures up the image of a SPOON rapidly gyrating in a LIQUID. Now put it outside under the SUN and double up the SPOONS to accommodate the increased size, and you have the world's largest MIX. | WATER is useful when you need to MIX things.

451) WATER after a SIESTA slakes a THIRST. | WATER will of course be found in the kanji for THIRST.

452) The speaker turns up the MICROPHONE when he notices that a SIESTA is being taken by the entire AUDIENCE. | WORDS are often spoken to an AUDIENCE.

453) The CLOAK worn during a SIESTA is BROWN.

454) A MOUTH after a SIESTA is HOARSE.

455) A SPOON lowers food into a MOUTH WITH WAGGING TONGUE because it's so DELICIOUS.

456) FLESH grows FAT if you eat all the delicious FOOD. | Ample FLESH plays a key role in the kanji for FAT.

457) The SAMURAI selling CROWNS here is allowed to be SEATED because he has just become the number 1 salesman. (Roman Numeral I)

458) EVERY PERSON has a MOTHER. (Popular; RECLINE here is used as a variation of PERSON).

459) EVERY TASKMASTER must be CLEVER as a fox. | TASKMASTER lends his authoritative presence to this kanji.

460) A TREE pops out of EVERY PLUM you try to eat.

461) EVERY drop of WATER leads to the SEA.

462) A beggar RECLINES pitiably on the ground, reaching out his HOOK, BEGGING for a few pennies.

463) A MIST is BEGGED for by those suffering under a DROUGHT.

464) FLESH of the ABDOMEN DOUBLES BACK during sit-ups.

465) A magician lays a CLOAK over something, then DOUBLES it BACK, revealing a set of exact DUPLICATES.

466) RECLINE with a HOOK combines with PERSON to demonstrate a LACK of sleep. (Yawn as a primitive)

467) A MOUTH YAWNS, first taking in and then BLOWING out some air.

468) A cook COOKS by means of YAWNING FIRE.

469) Uninspired rendition of the CAN-CAN evokes a YAWN from the audience, so the dancers break out in SONG to try to save the day.

470) If a CAR LACKS airbags, a crash will be far from SOFT.

471) If ICE is LACKING, people will go to the party NEXT door.

472) A beautiful FLOWER stands NEXT to a prickly BRIAR patch. | FLOWER gives an idea of the plant-like nature of BRIAR.

473) On a kanji balance sheet, we find that the SECOND column shows the SHELL-CURRENCY which represent a company's ASSETS.

474) It's projected here that the SECOND WOMAN in a man's life probably has a nice FIGURE. | WOMAN lends her graceful shape to the kanji for FIGURE.

475) The NEXT completes the picture of WORDS from the NEXT MOUTH to define CONSULT WITH. | WORDS and MOUTH both fit nicely in this kanji for CONSULT.

476) SHELL-CURRENCY is offered in return for keeping a MUZZLE on what he knows, as COMPENSATION to a potential witness.

477) SOIL, by a farmer using a MUZZLE as a makeshift plow, is CULTIVATED. | SOIL set the scene in the kanji for CULTIVATE.

478) SABRE is used to DIVIDE in this kanji. Add to this the MUZZLE placed on a poor student who must wear it until he figures out how to do long DIVISION.

479) STAND on SUN - and make loud SOUND!

480) The SUN is extinguished with a sudden, great SOUND, then DARKNESS.

481) A SOUND store EMPLOYEE speaks in RHYMES.

482) If instead of speaking normal WORDS, someone blows constantly on a KAZOO, he may soon be DISCRIMINATED against.

483) The full kanji for MIRROR incorporates the polished METAL which could have made the first MIRROR.

484) Thrusting from the SOIL at various intervals along a BOUNDARY are MIRRORS to scare away intruders who suddenly see themselves reflected.

485) A TOPHAT and a HOOK combine to create an image for DECEASED.

486) The EYE which has PERISHED is BLIND.

487) Wandering madly about an institute for the insane, having seen all her loved ones PERISH, is a WOMAN who suffers from DELUSIONS that they may be still alive.

488) FLOWERS PERISH in a FLOOD which LAYS WASTE to everything it touches.

489) PERISHING FLESH is the usual result of a warlike KING'S AMBITIONS.

490) A TOP HAT is BOUND UP to a stick, and used to find the DIRECTION of the wind.

491) A WOMAN at whom all the COMPASSES in the world for some reason point at hangs out a "do not DISTURB" sign.

492) Covered with SOIL after exploring all day in the woods with his new COMPASS is a little BOY. | DIRT somehow seems appropriate in the kanji for BOY.

493) A FLOWER which has a COMPASS on top smells like PERFUME.

494) Pointing to the nearest store where MEAT is sold is a specially-made COMPASS is carried by someone who is grossly OBESE.

495) With hastily scribbled WORDS and a COMPASS, a young diplomat sets out to CALL ON an important dignitary. | WORDS provide the flavour primitive in the kanji for CALL ON.

496) A COMPASS held by a TASKMASTER is used to find a slave accidentally SET FREE. | TASKMASTER lends his authoritative presence to this kanji

497) The WHITE WATER of nature's forces SET FREE in paint a picture of the enormous VIOLENCE of an ocean storm. | TASKMASTER lends his authoritative presence to this kanji.

498) FLESH by the DEVIL is UNDRESSED. | Bared FLESH is plays a key role in this kanji for UNDRESS.

499) Mischievous WORDS of the DEVIL spread untrue RUMORS.

500) A piece of METAL held by the DEVIL is probably a very POINTED pitchfork! | METAL provides its harsh feel to the kanji for POINTED.

501) In a scene from a horror movie, HORNS sprout from BRAINS and a TONGUE wildly WAGS IN MOUTH as a victim who was FORMERLY one of the good guys has his body taken over by an alien.

502) The full kanji for INCREASE notes that SOIL INCREASES rapidly if not swept out on a regular basis. | SOIL wryly plays a role in this kanji for something which rapidly INCREASES

503) The amount of SHELL-CURRENCY received by a youngster on his birthday INCREASES with each cash PRESENT.

504) The SUN rises from behind a TREE from the EAST (popular).

505) We find that only WOOD from the EAST is acceptable for making RIDGEPOLES.

506) Food from over the world is stored in ICE and shipped to the EAST - fresh-FROZEN.

507) A WOMAN is truly a PORTER for a young life during PREGNANCY.

508) The PORTERS of justice STRETCH the truth in the COURTS as they ply their trade.

509) A LIQUID which splatters from BASEBALLS falling from TREES onto people's heads is a new method used to DYE hair.

510) A FIERY "SORT OF THING" can give you a serious BURN.

511) Staying on as a guest in your HOUSE, someone who looks at the CEILING and only has a FEW SHELLS-MONEY when it comes time to pay the restaurant bill, is a prominent V.I.P. | A visiting V.I.P. always stays in someone's HOUSE.

512) At YEAR-END there are usually many PARADES. Imagine the biggest PARADE of all coming to a sudden STOP because of ONE SMALL mouse - preventing the completion of the YEAR-END festivities.

513) The EYE and HOOK from "straightaway" here combine with SMALL to create EYE-HOOK LOCKS which band together all the PREFECTURES on a three-dimensional Japanese map.

514) From a TREE on a CLIFF fall 10,000 HORSE-CHESTNUTS onto a poor village far below. | TREE fittingly plays a role in the kanji for HORSE CHESTNUT.

515) Underneath the GROUND live worms, SCORPIONS, and other nasty insects.

516) Step into the WATER of a POND, get stung by a SCORPION.

517) MOUTH - with a 3-stroke variation of ELBOW going through it creates an image of a weird kanji-INSECT.

518) A SCHOOLHOUSE full of INSECTS are LIGHTNING-BUGS learning how to light.

519) A beleaguered housewife fights off an invasion of INSECTS into her HOUSE with a SPOON, little realizing that the leader is a dastardly SNAKE. | The full kanji for SNAKE unfortunately has absolutely no relation to the familiar primitive of the same name.

520) The creators of kanji speculate on the origin of RAINBOWS in this character which concludes that INSECTS CRAFTED RAINBOWS.

521) This one is easy! The INSECT that looks like a flitting LEAF falling from a TREE is the BUTTERFLY. | INSECT fittingly is found in this kanji.

522) WILD DOGS try to mate with INSECTS because they have been SINGLE for too long!

523) The INSECT who descends from the HEAVENS is the SILKWORM.

524) In this full kanji for WIND, we see bands of GNATS are blown about in the WIND.

525) SELF (Pictograph for SNAKE)

526) Don't RUN on a SNAKE - you'll ROUSE it.

527) In a science fiction tale, everyone watches in horror as transformed before their eyes from a WOMAN into a SNAKE, is the QUEEN of the world.

528) The SNAKE representing the evil inside is tamed by the TASKMASTER in a REFORM school for problem kids. | TASKMASTER lends an authoritative presence to this kanji.

529) WORD-SNAKE would be how a "misquoted" athlete would characterize the SCRIBE for a local newspaper.

530) A SNAKE which BINDS UP it victims by WRAPPING them up is a Boa Constrictor.

531) The PART OF THE BODY which is WRAPPED is said to be PLACENTA.

532) A ROCK cannonball is "WRAPPED" by the nozzle of a CANNON as it is loaded. | ROCK somehow seems to fit into the kanji for CANNON.

533) WATER which is WRAPPED is a BUBBLE. | WATER fittingly finds its way into the kanji for BUBBLES.

534) BOUND UP TWO SUNS - with a LONG TAIL running through it. Pictograph of a TORTOISE - with an eel riding on it's back! Note: Be careful not to confuse this with "PORTENT", with its primitive of "TORTOISE SHELL". *Primitive = tortoise or eel for bottom half.

535) In the RAIN, bright EEL-like bolts of ELECTRIC lightning are emitted.

536) A long EEL decorated with colourful VASES attached creates a picture of a Chinese-New Year's DRAGON.

537) Its flexible shape flowing like WATER, a CHINESE NEW YEAR'S DRAGON washes over a WATERFALL. | Of course, WATER appears in the kanji for WATERFALL.

538) The MEAT from a SOW is PORK.

539) In a game know as "PURSUE the Pig", a SOW running madly about on the ROAD is PURSUED by the competitors.

540) The perfect crime is CONSUMMATED by a BOAR now slipping away down the ROAD.

541) Imagine living in a time where it normal to have a SOW living in your HOUSE!

542) WOMAN MARRIES INTO the HOUSE of another family. | WOMAN as usual plays a role in a kanji involving marriage. The HOUSE provides a location for the INTO portion of MARRY INTO.

543) A TALL, CROWNED SOW OVERPOWERS his opponents on "Pig Pro Wrestling" with his OVERPOWERING stench!

544) MEAT stored in a PIGGY BANK is a long INTESTINE.

545) As we know, "LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION" is the determining factor in valuing property. How much your patch of SOIL will put into your PIGGY BANK is determined by its LOCATION.

546) In a cold world, the kind of WATER precious enough to be stored in a PIGGY BANK is HOT WATER. | WATER of course appears as an element in HOT WATER.

547) Pictograph of the HORNS and four legs of a SHEEP. Note: the tail is not displayed when SHEEP appears as a primitive above another element.

548) A flock of SHEEP are watched over by a dedicated ST. BERNARD DOG, in a scene of pastoral BEAUTY.Or BEAUTIFUL BIG SHEEP.

549) Abundant SHEEP are found in the WATER of the OCEAN. Or try to envisage a kind of mythical WATER SHEEP zodiac sign Capricorn in the OCEAN.

550) Abundant WORDS of a SHEEP are DETAILED. | SHEEP brings a certain sense of abundance to this kanji.

551) Monster FISH eat FRESH SHEEP.

552) DIRT-covered SHEEP cross a fearfully cross a ROAD, and achieve a sense of ACCOMPLISHMENT.

553) A LACK of WATER for his SHEEP makes a farmer ENVIOUS of the neighbour who has it. | SHEEP lends a certain sense of goodness or abundance to this kanji, in a sense of the LACK thereof.

554) WOOL which is well-CRAFTED earns an award of great DISTINCTION.

555) A sheep's dense WOOL, so long it currently covers its EYES, will soon be shorn and later DONNED as a sweater.

556) The MOUTH on a TURKEY represents the world's only TURKEY SOLOIST ever, singing at Carnegie Hall. | If you look at this kanji as SOLOIST, then MOUTH makes sense for this kanji.

557) A TURKEY left too long on the CAMP-FIRE is burnt to a CHAR.

558) Through a field of ROCKS runs a TURKEY fleeing a CAMP-FIRE, finally finding refuge in a coral REEF. Or a REEF made of ROCK and CHAR.

559) TURKEYS find that the top of a TREE is a popular place to GATHER.

560) A frozen TURKEY packed in ICE makes it only QUASI-fresh.

561) Those TURKEYS coming down the ROAD toward you are the ADVANCE of a conquering army of TURKEYS.

562) NINE TURKEYS use WOODEN bats while playing with MISCELLANEOUS team-mates in a game of pickup baseball.

563) SNOWSHOES are put on TURKEYS who are FEMININE by breeders so the males can catch them during mating season.

564) In the WATER of an Olympic-sized pool, TURKEYS float on their back, TEN of them, wheezing heavily, only SEMI-conscious, having just swum in the SEMI-finals.

565) A BANK ROBBER who uses his BRAIN creates a diversion to get things all STIRRED UP.BANK ROBBER = ST BERNARDS DOG and TURKEY, imagine a robber with two animal masks).

566) A BANK ROBBER uses GLUE guns to ROB a bank.

567) A TURKEY HOUSE made from ROCK has the ASSURANCE of never falling down. | The ROCK contributes to the solid feel of the character for ASSURANCE.

568) A lazy horse with a high pain threshold RECLINES in a bed of NEEDLES until NOON.

569) WORDS together with HORSE give us the image of a talking HORSE. But a talking horse has to grant us PERMISSION before we can ride him!

570) A PEGASUS YAWNS in afternoon DELIGHT.

571) The TREE represents the stick wielded by the PEGASUS as he shows off his new-found AUTHORITY. | "Walk softly and carry a big STICK" is the key to obtaining some AUTHORITY.

572) A PEGASUS is sent up to SEE what the oncoming weather looks like, and upon his return he indicates the OUTLOOK is good.

573) Pictograph of FEATHERS. *Primitive = wings

574) WINGS coloured WHITE visually describe the soaring process of LEARNING.

575) Two FEATHERS are shown, one FOLLOWING the other, directly into a VASE

576) Just as each morning a rooster crows, each day a PEACOCK massively preens, indicating a new WEEKDAY. (Feathers + turkey = peacock)

577) A WATER-soaked PEACOCK get pulled from the LAUNDRY.

578) ONE who is PENT IN SAYETH "Get me out of here!"

579) A PENT-IN TREE is in a QUANDARY because it has no place to grow.

580) Someone PENT-IN and OLD is a HARDENED criminal.

581) A JEWEL PENT-IN describes the crown jewels which represent a COUNTRY.

582) The sense of feeling PENT-IN, and GLUED to a certain accepted behaviour, can be one of the issues that comes with belonging to a social GROUP.

583) This PENT-IN ST. BERNARD DOG has one CAUSE - to get out!

584) This kanji suggests that a WOMAN's CAUSE is MATRIMONY. | WOMAN as usual plays a role in a kanji involving marriage.

585) DISTANCE-MARKERS within an enclosed PENT-UP are kanji shorthand for a PARK.

586) A SQUARE in a SQUARE revolves a hundred TIMES per minute (rather clunkingly, perhaps).

587) A PODIUM is represented by a TOPHAT sticking out of the GROUND. Countless TIMES per day, beginning at NIGHTBREAK, people step up to this PODIUM to speak their piece.

588) FORTUNE-TELLER plays her trade from a CAVE, thus starting the world's first STORE.

589) CARS in a CAVE make a garage-like WAREHOUSE. Note: You may have trouble distinguishing this from STOREHOUSE. Just picture werewolves in your garage, and you won't have any more trouble.

590) When a defendant is executed it is usually in the COURTYARD. Here we see that the CAVE surrounding the COURT is used to hold captive the unfortunate subject of this tragic event.

591) A CAVE from which regulations governing the size of NAILS is issued is the first GOVERNMENT OFFICE.

592) A TREE in a CAVE functions as a pre-historic BED.

593) Hidden away inside a CAVE, out of the view of pre-historic law-enforcement authorities, a GROVE of "HEMP" is grown.

594) HEMP, on a ROCK, is GROUND into a smooth blend.(GRIND)

595) Pictograph of a HEART. *At the left, in a three stroke only form, this is a STATE OF MIND. **At the bottom, in a squashed form, this becomes a VALENTINE.

596) A forlorn lover PERISHES from a HEART attack when he concludes that "she loves me not" after picking the petals off a "FORGET- me not". | A PERISHING HEART says FORGET me not!"

597) A KNIFE thrust into the HEART is ENDURED by the victim. | The emotional HEART plays a role in the kanji for ENDURE.

598) WORDS from one who can no longer ENDURE a problem, publicly ACKNOWLEDGE it.

599) It seems like a SNAKE has bitten the HEART of someone in MOURNING.

600) A SAMURAI's HEART contains good INTENTIONS.

601) WORDS loosely spoken can reveal good INTENTIONS - but the best way to ensure follow-through is to DOCUMENT them. | WORDS give a key hint in the kanji for DOCUMENT.

602) Achiko, the famous dog, kept his master's memory in the MIDDLE of his HEART, an example of profound LOYALTY.

603) Pictograph of two morsels of food on a skewer. SHISH-KEBAB

604) AFFLICTED with the thirst for blood, a vampire is killed with a SHISH-KABAB to the HEART, thus ending his AFFLICTION once and for all.

605) The rational BRAIN combines with the emotional HEART to describe key elements of the THINKING process.

606) The CAUSE of one's HEART, according to Hemingway, should be GRACE. | As GRACE flows from the HEART, it is included in this kanji.

607) Someone falls into a CAVE and gets a HEART-attack, and you are the first one to arrive and APPLY first aid. After which you APPLY to medical school.

608) A SOUND from the HEART is your IDEA.

609) INTER-relating HEARTS is a laudable CONCEPT.

610) In the movie BREATHLESS, heartthrob Richard Gere gets punched in the NOSE, but wins the HEART of the starlet, who is BREATHLESS at all the action.

611) Sticking out their TONGUE and wiping their NOSES, as their HEARTS beat from the exercise, are kids at RECESS.

612) A knight, whose lance is represented by the NEEDLE, as he ventures onto the FIELD of combat, has won the HEART of the Princess, and thus she bestows upon him her FAVOUR.

613) The HEART which is CRAFTED from MEDIOCRE materials succumbs easily to FEAR.

614) A COWBOY's HEART is lost as he is BEGUILED by a beautiful woman.

615) The MARCH and singing MOUTHs of the participants raise strong EMOTIONS.

616) Drawing upon religious imagery, here a HEAD, a CROWN of thorns, and a heavy HEART and WALKING LEGS create MELANCHOLY image.

617) Struggling as the HEAD of the HOUSE since her husband has been killed with a DAGGER, is a poor young WIDOW, still dressed in black. | Managing the HOUSE is an issue in the kanji for WIDOW.

618) A MOOD RING/STATE OF MIND PERISHES from lack of attention due to the fact that its wearer is to BUSY to pay attention to it.

619) The STATE OF MIND brought on by the DEVIL is ECSTASY - at least, that's what he would have you believe.

620) A STATE OF MIND which SPANS a period of time is known as CONSTANCY.

621) A STATE OF MIND that's EMINENT is one of great LAMENT.

622) Five-mouthed "I" wears MOOD RINGS to achieve ENLIGHTENMENT.

623) An snobby woman wearing an angrily flashing MOOD RING, seeing that her LINEN is not perfectly folded, calls and complains about the DREADFUL state of affairs.

624) A concert is cancelled due a flood which LAID WASTE to the concert hall, leaving everyone in a STATE-OF-MIND which can only be described as DIS-CONCERTED.

625) MOOD RINGS are handed out at old fashioned revival meeting to EVERY one who REPENTS.

626) A STATE OF MIND which INCREASES too rapidly is HATE, as reflected by the glowing red MOOD RING.

627) When someone PIERCES your STATE-OF-MIND, you have become ACCUSTOMED to her smile.

628) In a wry commentary, this kanji posits that the STATE OF MIND of BUTCHERS in a MEETING happily discussing their trade is PLEASURE.

629) "SLOTH" is one of the seven deadly sins, according to Catholic doctrine. This STATE OF MIND is brought on by SINISTER (LEFT) influences and reveals a weakness of the FLESH; i.e. LAZINESS.

630) The STATE OF MIND which is TRUTHFUL with itself gives one a feeling of HUMILITY.

631) The loss of a MOOD-RING to which one is EMOTIONALLY attached gives a feeling of REMORSE.

632) An evasive politician wearing a MOOD-RING states before a sub-committee "I had no IDEA what was going on - to the best of my RECOLLECTION".

633) Found in a GRAVEYARD is a VALENTINE left by a grieving ex-lover PINING for the one who has passed on.

634) By mixing VALENTINES with the WATER from the HEAVENS (i.e., Rain) a neighbouring country is lovingly ANNEXED.

635) The HEART DIVIDED between two lovers INVARIABLY is broken.

636) In a wry commentary, this kanji states that in modern horror movies, INVARIABLY, too much liquid/WATER like substance in the form of OOZE will appear. | WATER is included in this kanji to represent the liquid nature of OOZE

637) - Pictograph of a six-fingered HAND.

638) A HAND covers an EYE as its owner WATCHES OVER a landscape.

639) A HEMP rope running through a HAND CHAFES it raw.

640) HANDS grab for a PINATA as those with the biggest EGO try to be the first to bring it down

641) A SHEEP with an EGO has a strong sense of RIGHTEOUSNESS.

642) WORDS proclaiming the RIGHTEOUSNESS of each side's motives are exchanged during DELIBERATIONS. | WORDS provide a key hint in this kanji for DELIBERATION.

643) COW and RIGHTEOUSNESS combine to create a picture of a SACRIFICE to the gods.

644) FINGERS and EXTREMITY combine to create a picture of someone RUBBING his fingers and toes (i.e., EXTREMITIES) to warm them up.

645) FINGERS like a SNAKE WRAP around you in a deadly EMBRACE.

646) As they stand upon the BOARD of the gangplank, parting lover's FINGERS FIT together in a final grasp as FLOWERS rain upon them from above; suddenly, the captains voice cries out "all ABOARD!"

647) FINGERS EXTRACT a FEW teeth.

648) A martial artist's FINGERS flash back and forth like a WHIRLWIND as he CONFRONTS his adversaries.

649) In an advertisement, FINGERS of housewives are COMPARED to one another, and the housewife with the "dishpan hands" is roundly CRITICIZED for not using the brand being promoted.

650) A FINGER SEDUCTIVELY BECKONS.

651) FINGERS brush aside ROCKS to CLEAR THE LAND.

652) FINGERS turn WHITE when you CLAP.

653) STRIKING manicurists STRIKE with their FINGERNAILS at those who cross picket lines to get their FINGERNAILS done, before the clock STRIKES noon.

654) A policeman's FINGERS point to the words of a PHRASE during an ARREST as he reads the rights to the "ARRESTee".

655) At a COTTAGE, you play a lot of cards, so your fingers are usually used to DISCARD cards. | Just as FINGERS are used to take up an object, they are also used to DISCARD it.

656) FINGERS cover a MOUTH, and a DAGGER is wielded in a daring KIDNAP. | Grasping FINGERS are included in KIDNAP.

657) Add to this an ANTIQUE, and you have picture of FINGERS as they PINCH an ANTIQUE in a daring robbery. | FINGERS do the PINCHING in this kanji.

658) A FINGER tosses a TORTOISE SHELL at your feet, a real kanji CHALLENGE.

659) In this full kanji for FINGER, we find that the FINGER is pointing to a DELICIOUS treat behind a bakery counter.

660) FINGERS HOLD onto BUDDHIST TEMPLE, in a modern metaphor for a struggling soul trying to HOLD on to his religious beliefs.

661) FINGERS pull up the TONGUE of a boot, then FASTEN the claps over it.

662) FINGERS of a gladiator in CHARIOT BRANDISH the head of a vanquished opponent to a frenzied crowd. | Something must be held in your FINGERS in order to BRANDISH it.

663) The origins of a TURKEY who has FINGERS instead of wings is the subject of much CONJECTURE.

664) FINGERS of many workers guide a huge PIGGY BANK as is being HOISTED into the air (as a promotion for a bank, no doubt, which would like to have "piggy" fingers in your pocket to hoist your money). | FINGERS are needed in order to HOIST something.

665) A suitor has his FINGERS eloquently displaying his emotion, JUST SO, and thusly unveils his PROPOSAL of marriage.

666) A breakable item slips through the FINGERS of an clumsy EMPLOYEE, and is badly DAMAGED. | FINGERS are used to DAMAGE something.

667) FINGERS FIT together to PICK-UP a coach and hold him up high in a victory march.

668) At each NIGHTBREAK, the FINGERS of Atlas pick up the world and place it on his weary SHOULDERS. | FINGERS hold stuff, so they set the tone for the kanji for SHOULDERING.

669) FINGERS grab onto a garbage DISPOSAL which happens to be stuck in the mountainside, which thus becomes a FOOTHOLD. | FINGERS lend a sense of grasping and holding to FOOTHOLD.

670) FINGERS are used to SKETCH FLOWERS growing in a RICE FIELD. | FINGERS are needed to SKETCH something.

671) FINGERS of a thief MENEUVER to steal the goods from a NEST. | FINGERS don't just walk, they MANEUVER in this kanji

672) In a modelling school contest, if the VASE being balanced on a WOMAN'S head is in any way TOUCHED by her FINGERS, then she is disqualified.

673) Political activists run all over town, using FINGERS to push SIESTA takers out of the way, so they can PUT UP NOTICES everywhere.

674) Desperate FINGERS pull at a HANGMAN'S noose made from IVY, but a fairy waves a MAGIC WAND to save the HANGING person. | FINGERS are the agent of action in HANG.

675) A STONE, by TWO HANDS, is POLISHED.

676) Returning from a mountain with God's word carried in his bony, gnarled TWO HANDS, Moses finds the people engaged in a FIESTA, and enraged, breaks the ten COMMANDMENTS.

677) A TREE about to be chopped down by a buzz saw makes a COMMANDMENT: Thou shalt not use that CONTRAPTION on me!" | TREE lends a kind of structural presence in this kanji.

678) This kanji from which the primitive NOSE is derived says that between your BRAIN and TWO HANDS is a NOSE (the NOSE being nonetheless perched at the top).

679) TWO HANDS are cut off with a SABRE as an extreme form of PUNISHMENT. | The cutting SABRE lends it presence to the kanji for PUNISH.

680) By employing a method of reward & PUNISHMENT, behaviour is MOLDED.

681) - Finger with the third stroke reversed creates an unconventional GENIUS*primitive = genius**see the next two frames for variants.

682) SHELL-CURRENCY earned by EINSTEIN is invested in very terrestrial PROPERTY.

683) TREES are cut down by EINSTEIN dressed in a LUMBERJACK'S shirt, in what could have been an avocation.

684) A GENIE IN A BOTTLE discovered by a CHILD leads him to SUPPOSE what he would do with his three wishes.

685) A GENIE IN A BOTTLE living underneath the SOIL leads a boring EXISTENCE.

686) A 2-stroked kanji is made FROM aFIST. Note the two knuckles formed by the corners of the second stroke. *Primitive = fist.

687) FINGERED-TURKEY working as a door-to-door salesman carries PORTABLE vacuum cleaners in its FIST. | FINGERS can easily lift something if it's PORTABLE.

688) A FIST REACHES OUT (represented by the third line) in this kanji. *Primitive = outstretched hands

689) A baby's MOUTH and OUTSTRETCHED HANDS create a picture of an infant SUCKING happily on his mother's breast.

690) FINGERS on the end of OUTSTRETCHED HANDS reach for the HANDLE-bars of a bike in the midst of a fall.

691) ONE ARM measures LENGTH.

692) The electronic MOUTH TUCKED UNDER THE ARMS of students is modern kind of HISTORY book.

693) The ONE who makes HISTORY is a great OFFICER.

694) When the CEILING of the darkness starts to descend, and the SUN is tucked under ONE ARM by the man upstairs, we realize it has started to GROW LATE.

695) If you lay on the ROCKS until it GROWS LATE, you'll probably be very STIFF at night.

696) OR AGAIN*.*Primitive = crotch

697) Two CROTCHES side by side make for an interesting PAIR.

698) MULBERRY TREES have three CROTCHES.

699) Enormous TURKEYS lay floating while people enter through the CROTCH, thus creating a sort of VESSEL.

700) A MICROPHONE is placed atop a SAFE as an additional SAFEGUARD against noisy intruders. (Flowers + vessel = safe)

701) WILD DOG is stuffed into a SAFE after having been SIEZED by the dog-catcher. | The WILD DOG gives a rough flavour to SEIZE.

702) In a wry commentary, we find that the CROTCH of a WOMAN is something which is interesting to most GUYS. | WOMAN interestingly is found in the kanji for GUY.

703) GUYS, in matters of the HEART, often get ANGRY.

704) Standing BY YOUR SIDE, walking on STILTS to amuse you, is a good FRIEND.

705) FINGERS, to greet a FRIEND, SLIP OUT of your pocket.

706) FINGERS are used to fire MISSILES past opposing batters by a hard THROWing pitcher.

707) WATER MISSILES are used as weapons to DROWN the enemy. | Of course, WATER is a key element in the kanji for DROWN.

708) WORDS are used like well directed MISSILES to obtain an elevated position in the ESTABLISHMENT. WORDS are very important to members of the ESTABLISHMENT.

709) We see HANDS are used as the VEHICLE to deliver MISSILE-like blows to the unfortunate victim of a BEATING.

710) A SAMURAI uses WEATHERVANES as MISSILES against the enemy, and carries them about concealed in corn HUSKS.

711) A NEEDLE coming from a CROTCH (of a tree, which is not included) is the kanji representation of a BRANCH.

712) In the days when this kanji was written, a set of FINGERS wielding a BRANCH well enough to fight off a wild beast was a germane definition of SKILL.

713) A TREE BRANCH is a BOUGH.

714) This one is easy! A PART OF THE BODY that resembles a BRANCH is a LIMB.

715) FLOWERS placed in the top of a huge SPOOL of thread create a stage-prop image of an enormously tall beanSTALK. | FLOWER gives an idea of the plant-like nature of STALK.

716) When someone's STATE OF MIND is as tightly coiled as thread on a SPOOL, he is probably SUSPICIOUS of everyone.

717) A CAR which has a SPOOL of thread for the motor is so LIGHT you can lift it up on one end.

718) An UNCLE towers ABOVE a SMALL niece or nephew who only come up to the height of his CROTCH.

719) An unruly UNCLE punches the EYE of a COACH because he feels his nephew is not getting enough playing time.

720) A single UNCLE alone in his HOUSE presents a picture of LONELINESS. |HOUSE lends a setting for LONELINESS.

721) Down to the WATER, a kindly UNCLE takes you to see the GRACEFUL swans.

722) High on a CLIFF, exposing CROTCHES as a form of protest, is a group of ANTI-establishment hippies. *Alternate primitive = hippie, oppose

723) As you fly down a ski-SLOPE, you observe that SOIL going "ANTI" the level of the ground is effectively a SLOPE.

724) Walking out on a horizontal TREE is colourfully dressed HIPPIE is forced to walk the PLANK.

725) A repentant HIPPIE, after years on the ROAD, RETURNS his hippie clothes and starts to live the yuppie life-style. | ROAD lends a sense of movement to the kanji for RETURN.

726) Earning SHELL-CURRENCY is an ex-HIPPIE who has implemented a successful MARKETING strategy.

727) Pictograph of a vulture's CLAW. *Primitive = vulture

728) CLAWS in this case represent hands, which on a WOMAN are GENTLE. | WOMAN lends a soft presence to the kanji for GENTLE.

729) The popular mnemonic for this kanji has the "claw" as hand, and "hook" as the rounded curve of a mother's breast; thus a representation of a child's hand reaching for his mother's breast to nurse for MILK.

730) FLEDGLINGS FLOAT on the WATER.

731) A TURTLE CLAWS his way to LEADERship, then uses a special GLUE to make people follow his LEAD.

732) Taking over as LEADER of an animal farm is a ST. BERNARD DOG with dictator-like qualities who like his human counterparts EXHORTS his followers to sacrifice ever more.

733) FINGERS reaching toward a VENUS FLYTRAP to PICK it are in for a rude surprise. | FINGERS are used to PICK something out in this kanji. (Vulture + Tree = Venus Flytrap)

734) The FLOWER named VENUS FLYTRAP eats VEGETABLES. | A FLOWER from a TREE is a VEGETABLE in this kanji.

735) A BIRDHOUSE in the CROTCH of a tree ACCEPTS many birds into it's hospitable setting*alternate primitive = collection plate

736) FINGERS unto a COLLECTION PLATE IMPART money. | FINGERS are used to kick off this kanji for IMPART.

737) A HEART is placed at the entrance of "BIRDHOUSE", which draws birds to come and use their WALKING LEGS as they preen about in a ritual mating dance of LOVE. | Of course, HEART is found in the kanji for LOVE.

738) A FINGER taps an exiting patron on the ELBOW, a reminder to PAY. | FINGERS are needed to hand over money to PAY someone.

739) ELBOW-room inside a CAVE indicates that the cave is nice and WIDE.

740) The opening of the "CAVE" in WIDE is not wide enough, thus FINGERS BROADEN the opening. | You need to use your FINGERS to BROADEN something.

741) METAL which is WIDELY available is a MINERAL.

742) A lot of ELBOW grease is applied, along with TWO HANDS, to open a huge VALVE of an air-pressure lock into outer space.

743) BY HIS SIDE, under his ELBOW, carrying a TURKEY, is a MASCULINE hunter carrying his catch. | We recall that TURKEY is included in FEMININE.

744) An old Greek statue, both arms cut off at the ELBOW, and its MOUTH completely chipped off, stands on a PEDESTAL.

745) The WOMAN on a PEDESTAL (see COMMENCE) is replaced by a HEART suffering from NEGLECT at the isolated position. | The emotional HEART lends it sensibilities to this kanji.

746) Majestically tossing WATER from a PEDESTAL, a ruler celebrates his REIGN by "REIGNING" cleansing WATER upon his subjects.

747) A distinguished WOMAN stands beside a huge PEDESTAL as she addresses the graduating class at COMMENCEMENT ceremonies.

748) The PART OF THE BODY that carries and protects a child, thus in a sense functioning as a PEDESTAL, is of course, the WOMB.

749) Land on your ELBOW with a racing HEART after falling out the HOLE of an open WINDOW. | HOLE fits nicely into the kanji for WINDOW.

750) The star of the famous move "GONE with the wind" has DIRT on her ELBOWS.

751) WATER gets GONE by natural METHOD known as evaporation.

752) In this full kanji for MEETING, we notice that a MEETING is held on one side of a separating WALL.

753) The WALL comes tumbling down to the GROUND, the CLIMAX of a long war.

754) When building a HOUSE, the CLIMAX occurs when the final ROOM is made.

755) Actor flashily waves his SABRE at the CLIMAX of a play as he ARRIVES on the scene.

756) At the CLIMAX of the play, the stern TASKMASTER DOTH achieves his goal of teaching old English to his students.

757) Two WALLS, one right side up, and the other upside down, MUTUALLY support each other.

758) An INFANT sleeps in a blanket BUCKLED to a TREE, ABANDONED to the first passer-by who will take him.

759) An INFANT is given MEAT and thus BROUGHT UP to be big and strong.

760) FINGERS of a BABY SITTER REMOVE a baby from a crib. | FINGERS are needed to REMOVE something. (Bring up + taskmaster = babysitter)

761) To each INFANT a pair of HUMAN LEGS (along with "A LOT" of other things) is ALLOTted.

762) METAL bullets are ALLOTTED by a GUN.

763) Stranded on a ROCK, an inventive BABY MOSES lights off a SULPHER flare to summon rescuers. | SULPHER is of course extracted from a ROCK. (Infant + stream = baby Moses)

764) The BABY MOSES floats downstream in the WATER of a CURRENT.

765) The deadly blows he is able to inflict with his ELBOWS and HUMAN LEGS force James Bond to obtain a LICENSE to kill.

766) This kanji includes the smooth-talking MOUTH which utters words to TEMPT us. This MOUTH grants full LICENSE to indulge in the pleasures of the WALKING legs of the opposite sex, a TEMPTING proposition.

767) Two MOUNTAINS mark the EXIT from the promised land.

768) Pictograph of a MOUNTAIN.

769) During a fire in a crowded theatre, panicky FINGERS trying to open the door marked EXIT are BUNGLING the job.

770) A MOUNTAIN-sized STONE is a BOULDER.

771) At a good ol' Texas barbecue, they make a ASHES from a MOUNTAIN, to create the CHARCOAL for the grill. That's why it so flat in Texas. *Primitive = barbecue

772) A M