哲 means “philosophy, wisdom”

てつ · tetsu

Also: clear

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

さとい, あきらか

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

テツ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 10 strokes

The story

A mouth (口) under 折, an axe (斤) and a hand (扌) splitting things apart: words that cut a problem to pieces. 哲学 is philosophy, and in Kyoto the 哲学の道, the Philosopher's Path, runs along a canal lined with cherry trees.

Used in 哲学 (tetsugaku, philosophy), 哲学者 (tetsugakusha, philosopher), and 変哲もない (hentetsu mo nai, utterly ordinary)

More from Learning & Reason

• 較 compare
• 塾 cram school
• 憶 memory
• 鑑 appraise
• 勘 intuition
• 寮 dormitory
• 儒 Confucian
• 稽 consider
• 検 examine
• 評 evaluate
• 批 criticize
• 修 study

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