才

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genius

On-Yomi: サイ

Elements:

genius, genius, genie

Heisig story:

Whatever one is particularly adept at - one's special "genius" - one can do very easily, "with one finger" as the phrase goes. This kanji is a pictograph of that one finger. Note how its distinctive form is created by writing the final stroke of the element for fingers backwards.

Heisig comment:

* The primitive meaning, genie, derives from the roots of the word genius. Use the genie out in the open when the primitive appears to the right of or below its relative primitive; in that case it also keeps its same form. At the left, the form is altered, and the meaning becomes a genie in the bottle.

Koohii stories:

1) [dwhitman] 31-10-2007(143): Spinal tap: "Every other band's amps go to ten. But you see my extra stroke of genius - these go to eleven.".

2) [johnzep] 29-6-2008(133): A TEN year old had a STROKE of GENIUS and wrote this joke: 何歳ですか？ 。。。天才です！ .

3) [osaki] 20-6-2007(52): Ten is ten, but add a stroke of genius and…

4) [theasianpleaser] 20-1-2009(48): Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Genius!

5) [ziggr] 7-9-2006(24): I use Azumanga Daioh's Mihama Chiyo-chan for this. Not only is this character "genius", but it is also the simplified "years old" counter, one which children use instead of 歳 . I can imagine Chiyo-chan saying: 「十才ですよ」 "I'm ten years old." Ten-year-old genius? 十才天才 .

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