Emaki · all 1,500 words

非常

ひじょう

emergency, calamity

Mnemonic

Not the usual state of affairs, said of the sort of situation that comes with its own exits. The same じょう as 異常, one mora off it, and both of them mean something has gone badly wrong: ひじょう.

Worth knowing

Also does very, as 非常に. 異常 いじょう is the near neighbour and means abnormal.

Built from

not, against
Two wings drawn back to back, each facing away from the other. Against, and not.
always, usual
A long cloth hanging down below, the same one day after day. The thing that is always there.

Words sharing these kanji

always, constantly extraordinary, exceptional

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Emaki is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, Kaishi 1.5k or its authors. The word, reading and meaning come from the Kaishi 1.5k deck, used with their permission. The mnemonic, the note and the kanji breakdown are original work, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.