Meaning & readings
spot, blemish, speck, patches
On’yomi ハン
Kun’yomi ふ、まだら
Nanori い
Origin
This character most likely combines the idea of an axe or tool (the left side) with a pattern or marking. The right component suggests variation or distinction in appearance. Together, the character depicts something marked or spotted — much like how an object struck repeatedly by a tool or blade would show irregular patches of damage or discoloration. The resulting shape came to represent the visual concept of spots, speckles, or mottled patterns on a surface.
AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Pictographic or simple.
Components
This character is treated as a single, undivided shape (斑).
Reference
- Strokes
- 12
- Kangxi radical
- 67
- Grade
- Jōyō (secondary school)
- Frequency rank
- #2165 (newspapers)
- Former JLPT
- —
- Unicode
- U+06591