Fri, 10/23/2009 - 17:51
Sensei,
I was wondering about the Radicals. I think, specifically the ones that are just radicals and don't really have meanings associated with them. The なべぶた and the ふるとり radicals come to mind. I can see how learning them will help you write other kanji, but what I don't see is how the ふるとり radical helps to understand what, say, 曜 means. Any sagely advice? ありがとう。
Shutoh
Actually, the radicals do have meanings, they just don't have readings (they do have names, however). The meanings are usually associated with the meaning of the character somehow. For example, kanji using 木 as a radical usually are the names of trees, or have something to do with lumber, or something like that. Kanji with the くさかんむり ("grass crown") radical (艹) on top usually have something to do with plants. But often times (such as ふるとり in 曜), the meaning is pretty obscure, and not helpful.
Sometimes the radicals are just there to give a particular reading, and so are there for sound, not meaning. Sometimes what are being used as radicals today are actually simplifications of more complex radicals, and so have lost all meaning/sound. For example, 学 was originally 學 (and still is in Taiwan, for example).
Regardless, if your main goal is to learn to read Japanese, then you should probably not worry too much about what the historical meanings/uses are too much, and instead just concentrate on how you can use the meaning of the radical to help you remember it as part of a mnemonic. Learning historical derivations is easier and more interesting after you're fluent in Japanese. =)