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琵 = 王 + 比

琵 is a Japanese kanji written with 12 strokes, listed here under the keyword “biwa”. It is built from 王 (king) and 比 (compare). In Remembering the Kanji by James W. Heisig it is frame 2921.

Keyword
biwa
RTK frame
2921
Strokes
12
On'yomi (Sino-Japanese reading)
ビ, ヒ
Script
Japanese kanji
Also known as
glissando on strings, бива
Same glyph as a Chinese hanzi
琵 guitar-like instrument

Decomposition

Primary decomposition

  1. 王 king
  2. 比 compare

How to find 琵 without knowing its reading

On KumiJi Glyph Explorer, open the parts search and type “king” + “compare”. 琵 is among the results, together with every other character containing the same shapes.

Open 琵 in the interactive kanji search to expand every part down to its smallest pieces, add your own names and mnemonic stories, or search for other characters by their parts.