十

Ten

Meaning: Ten

When you think of crosses, you think of certain religions. When you think of some of the most prominent images of those religions, one of the biggest is the Ten Commandments. So, when you see the cross, think Ten.

This kanji is made up entirely of the cross radical, which might be a little confusing since you have to remember two different meanings. If you make a progression of the story in your mind, though, it should be a lot better. So, as long as you think “Okay, I have a cross … what have I associated with this cross? Why, the Ten Commandments.” If you do this, you should be alright!

Reading: じゅう, じゅ

So, now that you have the Ten Commandments in your head, think “who held up these Ten Commandments?” Why it was Moses, who was a Jew (じゅう, じゅ).

See how the progression of everything works? If you know the radicals, you can remember the meaning. If you know the meaning, you can remember the reading. It’s all about connecting these things to each other in your head, because the more connections you have, the more likely you are to remember! It’s just how the brain works.

Vocabulary

a 十（じゅう）＝　Ten

• Meaning: The meaning is the same as the kanji’s meaning.
• Reading: The reading is the same as the kanji’s on’yomi reading. Note that most vocab words, when all alone (with no other kanji attached to them) use the kun’yomi readings. Numbers are not like that. They use the on’yomi reading when left alone like this. Just remember that numbers are the exception to the rule.

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