Kanji Breakdown: 冥
Core Meaning: Dark, obscure; underworld; deep/profound
Reading: メイ (mei) / ミョウ (myō)
Structure Analysis:
冖 (cover radical): covering/concealment
六 (six): ancient form showing "entwined objects"
Character depicts "objects covered in darkness" - representing the unseen spiritual realm.
Essential Vocabulary & Usage
1. 冥土 (めいど・meido) - Underworld, afterlife
"They believed souls go to the underworld."
魂が冥土へ行くと信じられていた。
2. 冥福 (めいふく・meifuku) - Rest in peace
"I pray for the repose of his soul."*
彼の冥福を祈ります。
3. 冥王星 (めいおうせい・meiōsei) - Pluto (dwarf planet)
"Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet."*
冥王星は準惑星に再分類された。
4. 冥想 (めいそう・meisō) - Deep meditation
"He sits in meditation every morning."*
彼は毎朝冥想している。
Key Insight
冥 represents the hidden spiritual realm - darkness, the afterlife, and profound depths beyond physical perception. It appears in Buddhist terminology, astronomical names, and concepts of deep contemplation. Unlike simple darkness (暗), 冥 carries mystical and spiritual connotations of the unseen world.
*Stroke Order: 10 strokes - write cover radical first, then internal components.*