淡 means “pale, faint, light”

あわい · awai

Also: thin, fleeting

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): あわい
On'yomi (Chinese reading): タン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 11 strokes

The story

Water (氵) poured over a double flame (炎): the blaze dies down to something faint. 淡い is pale or faint, as in 淡いピンク or a 淡い初恋, a faint first love, and 淡水 is fresh water, without the sea's strong salt.

Used in 淡い (awai, pale/faint), 淡水 (tansui, fresh water), and 冷淡 (reitan, cold/indifferent)

淡 means “pale, faint, light”

The story

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