# Special kanji words derived from other words **URL:** \ **Category:** Kanji\ **Created:** [March 17, 2019, 3:28pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655 "2019-03-17T15:28:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![seanblue](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/seanblue/32/579844_2.png) [@seanblue](https://community.wanikani.com/u/seanblue)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 1:06pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/21 "2019-03-20T13:06:28Z")
If the reading doesn’t match add a little \* and mention of the original reading. ---
**Author:** ![sigolino](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/sigolino/32/342139_2.png) [@sigolino](https://community.wanikani.com/u/sigolino)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 1:09pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/22 "2019-03-20T13:09:08Z")
Is it good like that? I’m not sure if it was that originally, but jisho lists it under “other forms”: ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/original/3X/1/b/1b7702d80974f3a28ec1a6ef26eff87c5df9aacd.png) ---
**Author:** ![seanblue](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/seanblue/32/579844_2.png) [@seanblue](https://community.wanikani.com/u/seanblue)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 1:25pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/23 "2019-03-20T13:25:12Z")
Looks good. 👍 ---
**Author:** ![DanishPastry](https://cdck-file-uploads-global.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wanikanicommunity/original/3X/f/d/fd4c154120954695f788402f3bcf4e616499bc2d.png) [@DanishPastry](https://community.wanikani.com/u/DanishPastry)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 1:46pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/24 "2019-03-20T13:46:55Z")
快い (こころよい) must be 心良い right? I always wondered about 炎 (ほのお), that お makes me think the の is possessive and the spelling comes from a different word ---
**Author:** ![seanblue](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/seanblue/32/579844_2.png) [@seanblue](https://community.wanikani.com/u/seanblue)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 1:54pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/25 "2019-03-20T13:54:10Z")
> [@bekku\_no\_ojiisan](#): > > 快い (こころよい) must be 心良い right? Good one! Jisho even lists that as a valid alternate spelling. > [@bekku\_no\_ojiisan](#): > > I always wondered about 炎 (ほのお), that お makes me think the の is possessive and the spelling comes from a different word According to [Goo](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/205090/meaning/m0u/%E3%81%BB%E3%81%AE%E3%81%8A/), it’s 《「火 (ほ) の穂」の意》, but that’s a pretty major reading change. ---
**Author:** ![sigolino](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/sigolino/32/342139_2.png) [@sigolino](https://community.wanikani.com/u/sigolino)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 1:58pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/26 "2019-03-20T13:58:23Z")
> [@bekku\_no\_ojiisan](#): > > 快い (こころよい) must be 心良い right? Apparently, yes. Also, 炎 seems to come from 火ほの穂ほ Sometimes 火 is read as ほ when joined with other kanji, like 火照ほてる. There’s more about that here (in Japanese): > **[ウェブリブログ：サービスは終了しました。](https://webryblog.biglobe.ne.jp)** > > 「ウェブリブログ」は 2023年1月31日 をもちましてサービス提供を終了いたしました。 2004年3月のサービス開始より19年近くもの間、沢山の皆さまにご愛用いただきましたことを心よりお礼申し上げます。今後とも、BIGLOBEをご愛顧賜りますよう、よろしくお願い申し上げます。 Some other interesting thing I discovered in this article: 蛍ほたる = 火垂ほたる I also remembered some other examples, but I’m kind of worried the table might be growing too fast… 😅 ---
**Author:** ![seanblue](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/seanblue/32/579844_2.png) [@seanblue](https://community.wanikani.com/u/seanblue)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 1:59pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/27 "2019-03-20T13:59:19Z")
> [@Fun Kanji, New Kanji, Non WK kanji](https://community.wanikani.com/t/fun-kanji-new-kanji-non-wk-kanji/33098/176): > > 秤 (はかり) - scale, weighing machine​ ⚖ Hmm… 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![jneapan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/jneapan/32/3868_2.png) [@jneapan](https://community.wanikani.com/u/jneapan)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 2:01pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/28 "2019-03-20T14:01:10Z")
I just learned about 瞬く (またたく) being derived from 目叩く and I thought that it would fit in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Leebo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/leebo/32/439476_2.png) [@Leebo](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Leebo)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 2:03pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/29 "2019-03-20T14:03:01Z")
> [@seanblue](#): > > According to [Goo](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/205090/meaning/m0u/%E3%81%BB%E3%81%AE%E3%81%8A/), it’s 《「火 (ほ) の穂」の意》, but that’s a pretty major reading change. ほ and お is a change that happened in classical Japanese. The classical spelling was ほのほ. But the pronunciation was what we see today, so they spell it phonetically now. ---
**Author:** ![DanishPastry](https://cdck-file-uploads-global.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wanikanicommunity/original/3X/f/d/fd4c154120954695f788402f3bcf4e616499bc2d.png) [@DanishPastry](https://community.wanikani.com/u/DanishPastry)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 2:04pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/30 "2019-03-20T14:04:44Z")
滞る(とどこおる) has got to be one! I’m just being lazy now lemme have a look myself ---
**Author:** ![Leebo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/leebo/32/439476_2.png) [@Leebo](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Leebo)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/31 "2019-03-20T14:05:33Z")
> [@bekku\_no\_ojiisan](#): > > 滞る(とどこおる) has got to be one! > > I’m just being lazy now lemme have a look myself It’s the とど of とどまる plus こおる. ---
**Author:** ![sigolino](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/sigolino/32/342139_2.png) [@sigolino](https://community.wanikani.com/u/sigolino)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/32 "2019-03-20T14:05:37Z")
I was thinking this earlier too, but didn’t have much luck finding anything except that the とど comes from とどめる. My guess is that the こおる is from 凍る. Leebo’d ---
**Author:** ![DanishPastry](https://cdck-file-uploads-global.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wanikanicommunity/original/3X/f/d/fd4c154120954695f788402f3bcf4e616499bc2d.png) [@DanishPastry](https://community.wanikani.com/u/DanishPastry)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 2:08pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/33 "2019-03-20T14:08:32Z")
Ha you guys are a lot better at this than me. I like this thread though and I will return with more goodies ---
**Author:** ![seanblue](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/seanblue/32/579844_2.png) [@seanblue](https://community.wanikani.com/u/seanblue)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 2:38pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/34 "2019-03-20T14:38:53Z")
> [@Leebo](#): > > ほ and お is a change that happened in classical Japanese. The classical spelling was ほのほ. Yeah, I know. I’ve never seen ほ for 火 either, though that one is actually listed in jisho. ---
**Author:** ![Leebo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/leebo/32/439476_2.png) [@Leebo](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Leebo)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 2:41pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/35 "2019-03-20T14:41:18Z")
> [@seanblue](#): > > > [@Leebo](#): > > > > ほ and お is a change that happened in classical Japanese. The classical spelling was ほのほ. > > Yeah, I know. I’ve never seen ほ for 火 either, though that one is actually listed in jisho. You might have also forgotten that the entry for the word 火照る (ほてる) mentioned it. ---
**Author:** ![seanblue](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/seanblue/32/579844_2.png) [@seanblue](https://community.wanikani.com/u/seanblue)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 2:50pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/36 "2019-03-20T14:50:50Z")
Yep, thanks for the reminder! ---
**Author:** ![seanblue](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/seanblue/32/579844_2.png) [@seanblue](https://community.wanikani.com/u/seanblue)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/37 "2019-03-20T14:56:31Z")
> [@sigolino](#): > > Some other interesting thing I discovered in this article: > > 蛍 = 火垂る Apparently 火垂 can still be used in names. ---
**Author:** ![Arzar33](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/arzar33/32/257062_2.png) [@Arzar33](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Arzar33)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 2:57pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/38 "2019-03-20T14:57:42Z")
Not sure if it fits in this thread, but I just remembered this one 試みる= 心見る (valid spelling) Edit : Also those two are suspicious but I can’t find proof… 鬣 たてがみ probably 立髪 ? 忝い かたじけない too long to be honest 😋 ---
**Author:** ![Arzar33](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/arzar33/32/257062_2.png) [@Arzar33](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Arzar33)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2019, 1:13am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/39 "2019-03-21T01:13:17Z")
This topic is slowly making me realize that most of the long kunyomi that I struggled so hard in Wanikani are actually almost always derived from simpler compound ! Amazing. 塊 = 固まり (valid spelling) 凩 = 木枯らし (valid spelling) 礎 = 石据え (not a valid spelling) 狼 = 大神 (not a valid spelling) 曙 = 明仄 (not a valid spelling) 嘴 = 口端 (not a valid spelling) 猪 = 猪 (い) の獣 (しし) 紫 murasaki, 幻 maboroshi and 唇 kuchibiru looks also promising. ---
**Author:** ![Belthazar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/belthazar/32/4469_2.png) [@Belthazar](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Belthazar)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2019, 1:37am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655/40 "2019-03-21T01:37:16Z")
> [@Arzar33](#): > > 唇 kuchibiru Well, this one’s obviously 口… uh… ビル [Previous page](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655.md?page=1) [Next page](https://community.wanikani.com/t/special-kanji-words-derived-from-other-words/35655.md?page=3)