厚

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thick

On-Yomi: コウ — Kun-Yomi: あつ.い、あか

Elements:

thick, cliff, sun, day, child

Heisig story:

When we refer to someone as thick-skinned or thick-headed, we are usually quick to add - even if only under our breath - something about their upbringing. Perhaps it is because deep down we cherish the belief that by nature people are basically tender and sensitive. Be that as it may, the Japanese character for thick depicts a child abandoned out on the wild cliffs, exposed to the heat of the sun, and thus doomed to develop a head and skin as thick as the parent who left it there.

Koohii stories:

1) [potempkin] 26-8-2008(209): The thick cliff walls protected the children from the sun.

2) [kfactor] 7-7-2007(142): In Sparta we throw our Children over a Cliff. Under the Sun, they fight other Children. In the end, if they survive, they sure have thick skin.

3) [dwhitman] 28-9-2007(28): Thick skinned child, got that way by burning under the sun while playing at the bottom of a cliff which reflects and intensifies the light. (He's safe though, because there's no overhang).

4) [theBryan] 30-5-2008(25): The japanese word for thick is atsui which is a homophone for hot, a kid under a cliff with the sun baking down on him would be hot indeed, especially if he had a thick sweater on. An atsui seetaa under the atsui sun.

5) [dinmamma] 9-8-2009(14): A child who grew up under the burning sun on dry, bare cliffs is bound to be thick-skinned.

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