乙 means “second, B, stylish”

おつ · otsu

Also: the latter, duplicate, strange, witty

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

おと-, きのと

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

オツ, イツ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 1 stroke

The story

A single bent stroke, a fishhook shape: the second of the ten stems, so B after 甲's A. Contracts call the parties 甲 and 乙, 甲乙つけがたい is too close to rank, and something 乙な is quietly stylish.

Used in 甲乙 (kouotsu, A and B/relative merit), 乙女 (otome, maiden), and 乙な (otsu na, chic/stylish)

More from Old Measures

• 斗 dipper
• 尺 shaku
• 升 sho (about 1.8 liters)
• 畝 ridge (in a field)
• 壱 one (formal)
• 弐 two (formal)
• 丙 third (in a series)
• 斤 axe
• 箇 item
• 第 number (ordinal prefix)
• 丈 length
• 寸 sun (about 3 cm)

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.