努 Toil

Radical Combination

• 女

  Woman
• 又

  Stool
• 力

  Power

Meaning

Primary

Toil

Mnemonic

A woman sits on a stool to conserve her power, as her servants toil away in the kitchen. They toil away preparing a feast for this powerful woman while she kicks back on her cozy stool. She's a queen and deserves to be pampered.

Hints

Imagine you're one of this woman's minions, toiling away in the kitchen. The heat from the stoves is intense, and you're hoping she doesn't see the sweat dripping from your forehead into the food. Man, you've never toiled so hard in your life.

Note: There are a few other kanji with similar meanings. This one is used in words that refer to doing work, with a focus on making a concerted effort.

Readings

On’yomi

ど

Kun’yomi

つと

Nanori

None

Mnemonic

As a servant you toil not just for the woman, but also for her dog (ど). Anything she gets, the dog gets too. That means double the toil for you. But hey, at least the dog is cute.

Hints

Secretly it's this dog you toil for, not the woman. Try to picture what kind of dog it is. And imagine sneaking extra portions to it under the table when the woman isn't looking. Yes, if it weren't for this innocent dog, you'd have done with this life of toil!