Translingual

Han character

脳 (radical 130 肉+7, 11 strokes, cangjie input 月火山大 (BFUK), composition ⿰⺼⿱⺍凶)

References

• KangXi: not present, would follow page 985, character 11
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 29567
• Hanyu Da Zidian: not present, would follow volume 3, page 2082, character 1
• Unihan data for U+8133

Japanese

Kanji

(grade 6 “Kyōiku” kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 腦)

1. brain

Readings

• Goon: のう (nō)
• Kan’on: どう (dō) (non-Jōyō reading)
• Kun: なずき (nazuki)

Compounds

Etymology 1

脳 (nazuki, nō): a brain in a jar.

/naduki/ → /nad͡zuki/ → /nazuki/

Originally the noun stem form naduki of verb 漬く (naduku, modern nazuku, “to be immersed in water or other liquid”).

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA^(key): [na̠zɯᵝkʲi]

Alternative forms

• 髄

Noun

脳 ‎(shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 腦, hiragana なずき, romaji nazuki, historical hiragana なづき)

1. (archaic, anatomy) the brain
   • 794, Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki (page 68)^[1]

     髄脳 上須年 下奈豆技

2. by extension, the head

Etymology 2

/nau/ → /noː/

From Middle Chinese 腦 ‎(nɑ̌u, “brain”).

Pronunciation

• On'yomi: Goon
• (Tokyo) の​う [nóꜜò] (Atamadaka - [1])^[2]
• IPA^(key): [no̞ː]

Noun

脳 ‎(shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 腦, hiragana のう, romaji nō, historical hiragana なう)

1. (anatomy) brain
2. (figuratively) one's brains, one's mental functioning

   あの野郎 (やろう)は生 (う)まれつき脳 (のう)が弱 (よわ)い。

   Ano yarō wa umaretsuki nō ga yowai.

   That guy was born [with weak brains] → dim-witted.

References

1. ↑ Yoshinori Kobayashi, Kojisho Ongi Shūsei 1: Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki (in Japanese), Kyūko Shoin (published 1978; original text from 794), ISBN 4-7629-3088-1.
2. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9