Kanji Mastery—Radical 112 (Stone)

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Hard, obdurate, unyielding. These are some of the qualities of the "stone" or "rock" radical—number 112 in a classic series of 214 lexical markers in written Chinese or, for our purposes, Sino-Japanese. The word combinations below will give you a sense of the kinds of connections that this character has inspired in all aspects of life and practice.

Let's take a look at the etymology of the character, followed by a few combinations. By all means, check out the following sites for useful information on the character:

Etymology for 石 

Character Information for 石

石

Radical 112

Chinese (Mandarin): shi2  (Cantonese): sek6

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Japanese (on): セキ, シャク seki, shaku  (kun):いし, こく
Korean:

Selections from The New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary.

石 Radical112

Ishi stone. At left: ishi hen. Nickname: Stone.

SEKI, SHAKU
ishi stone, pebble, rock; jewel; the go playing stones.
koku 4.96 bushels; ten cubic feet (of lumber)


石工　いしく　   　         ishiku               workman, craftsman      (stone + work)
石火    せっか                  sekka                flint fire; flash                 (stone + fire)
石弓　いしゆみ               ishiyumi             crossbow, catapult        (stone + bow)
石川    いしかわ               ishikawa            river with stony bottom (stone + river)
石匠    しきしょう           sekishyou          stone mason                 (stone + craftsman)
石道    いしみち               ishimichi            stone road                     (stone + path)
石門    いしもん               ishimon              stone gate                    (stone + gate)
石橋    いしばし*              ishibashi            stone bridge                 (stone + bridge)
石切    いしき(り)             ishiki(ri)              quarrying                     (stone + cut)
石臼    いし うす              ishi usu               stone mill                     (stone + mortar)
* Also (せっこう)
**Also (せっきょう)

And then we have a cluster of other combinations that remind us that not all language is neutral or suited to the tastes of "modern" readers. The nature of all life is that it is historical and cultural. The dictionary (all dictionaries) is chock full of terms that hearken back to darker times. If you have been reading the news, you will quickly see that every one of these terms remains relevant in some parts of the world. "Stone" carries with it more than merely lexical or phonetic baggage, and I replicate some of the more harrowing terms here without further comment.

石女       うまずめ             umazume           barren woman             (stone + woman)
石婦       せきふ                 sekifu                 barren woman             (stone + wife)
石打　　いしう(ち)          ishiu(chi)             stoning                        (stone + beating)
石合戦　いしがっせん     ishigassen          fighting with stones      (stone + unite + war)

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