Kanji Mastery—Radical 93 (Cow/Ox)

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[a] Pointed RF

Japan's major islands aren't particularly spacious by continental standards, and one will not find major pasturage anywhere but on Hokkaidō. Why, then, would one of the 214 lexical markers (the "radicals") found in Japanese characters have "cow," or "ox" among them? Well, because the Japanese writing system...comes from China. Please don't forget that. The Japanese borrowed the language wholesale (this is only a slight exaggeration) from China in the sixth, seventh, and eighth centuries, and then worked the materials into a truly distinctive (indeed, symphonic) blending of native culture and foreign borrowing. 

"Cow" came out in the wash, and has been a part of the language ever since. Even though Japan has never had major herds, it has become known for everything from Kobe beef to sukiyaki. Take a look at the etymology of the character.

Etymology for 牛

Character Information for 牛

牛

[b] Cowpy RF

Radical 93

Chinese (Mandarin): niu2
Chinese (Cantonese): ngau4

Japanese (On reading): go, gyū
Japanese (Kun readings): ushi
Korean:

Selections from The New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary.

牛 Radical 93

Ushi cow. At left: ushi hen. Nickname: Cow.

牛皮　ぎゅうひ          gyūhi              cowhide                   (cow + skin)
牛羊　ぎゅうよう      gyūyō             cows and sheep       (cow + sheep)
牛馬　ぎゅうば         gyūba             cows and horses      (cow + horse)
牛肉　ぎゅうにく      gyūniku          beef                          (cow + meat)
牛車　ぎゅうしゃ      gyūsha           oxcart                       (cow + cart)
牛舎　ぎゅうしゃ      gyūsha           cow barn/pen           (cow + shelter)
牛追　うしお(い)       ushio(i)           cattle herder             (cow + drive)
牛使　うしつか(い)   ushitsuka(i)     cattle herder             (cow + lead)
牛鍋　ぎゅうなべ      gyūnabe         sukiyaki                     (cow + pot)
牛糞　ぎゅうふん      gyūfun            cow manure              (cow + excrement)

The standard combinations above (and they certainly have their own kind of intellectual adhesion, as they bind together like Velcro) give way to compounds that require at least a little bit of contemplation.

牛蒡　ごうぼう         gobō                burdock                  (cow + burdock)
牛痘　ぎゅうとう      gyūtō               cowpox, vaccine    (cow + pox/smallpox)

牛疫　ぎゅうえき      gyūeki             rinderpest               (cow + epidemic)
牛飲　ぎゅういん      gyūin               drink like a cow       (cow + drink)

and, finally...gluttony:

牛飲馬食　ぎゅういんばしょく   gyūinbashoku    gluttony    (cow + drink + horse + eat)

[c] Focus RF

We'll conclude with a number of characters that have the element 牛 in them. Be sure to note the difference between the radical marker on the left side of many "ox/cow radical" characters and the normal form you have seen up until now. The left side element is called ushi hen, and should be clearly distinguished from the "hand" radical (number 64). 

Compare these two characters: 捕 and 特. The first character has the "hand" radical, while the second has the "cow" radical. Learn to distinguish these.


牢　ロウ                        RŌ                                     prison, jail, hardness
牧　ボク                       BOKU                                 shepherd, care for, raise
物　ブツ, モツ, もの     BUTSU, MOTSU, mono     thing, object, matter
牲　セイ, いけにえ       SEI, ikenie                          sacrifice, offering, gift 
特　とく                       toku                                     special, especially
牽　ケン, ひく　　　　KEN, hi(ku)                        draw, pull, haul, tug 

[d] Radical RF