名

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name

On-Yomi: メイ、ミョウ — Kun-Yomi: な、-な

Elements:

name, evening, mouth

Heisig story:

Perhaps you have heard of the custom, still preserved in certain African tribes, of a father creeping into the tent or hut of his newborn child on the night of the child's birth, to whisper into its ear the name he has chosen for it, before making his choice public. It is an impressive naming custom and fits in tidily with the way this character is constructed: evening . . . mouth. At evening time, a mouth pronounces the name that will accompany one throughout life.

Koohii stories:

1) [Christine_Tham] 24-7-2007(165): In the evening, when it becomes dark, open your mouth to say your name so that people can recognise you.

2) [panikbuton] 20-1-2008(81): In the evening, her sweet mouth whispered my name.

3) [mspertus] 2-6-2006(34): Because it's dark in the evening, you need to open your mouth and speak your name to identify yourself. (This is a traditional mnemonic for this kanji).

4) [vinniram] 24-5-2009(19): In African tradition, the father sneaks up to the baby in the EVENING, and whispers using his MOUTH the NAME which the baby will carry for his entire life.

5) [jay168] 27-9-2009(9): My real name is eveningmouth, but you can call me Bob :).

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