Radical 9 of 20 · あし · bottom

心こころ: heart

Feelings and the mind: thinking, loving, being sad, hurrying.

Heads 23 of the 1026 kanji taught in Japanese primary school.

字源 · WHY THIS SHAPE

From a picture to 心

1. The picture
A heart, the organ, drawn with its chambers. People once thought you feel and think with your heart.
2. Two forms
At the bottom it stays 心 (思, 感). On the left it stands up as 忄: one tall line with a dot on each side (性, 情).

Origins follow the commonly taught explanations. Where scholars disagree, we say so.

Feelings and the mind: thinking, loving, being sad, hurrying.

必 (must) is filed under 心 only because of its shape.

Every primary-school kanji filed under 心. Tap one to see its meaning.