亡 (na(kunaru): to die)
This shape appears inside several other kanji, where it contributes the sense of dying. Here are Henshall’s interpretations of what 亡 contributes to three kanji:
忙 (isoga(shii): busy)
Originally, this may have referred to a heart (
) so busy and pressured that it dies or can take no more.
忘 (wasu(reru): to forget)
Here, 亡 doesn’t exactly mean “dead” but rather “no longer actively present.” Something that’s no longer actively present in the heart (心) has been forgotten.
盲 (MŌ, mekura: blind)
With blindness, it’s as if the eye has died.
