The 憶 in 追憶

追憶 (tsuioku: recollection, reminiscence)
     to remember the dead + recollection

Hmm, do I know the second kanji, 憶 (OKU: recollection)? It looks like 意 (I: idea, mind, heart) with a heart () in front. It also resembles and sounds exactly like 億 (OKU: hundred million). Oh, now that I’ve looked up 憶, I remember! It’s in 記憶 (kioku: memory, to remember + recollection), which I love because of the internally rhyming compound that spins off of it: 記憶力 (kioku ryoku: ability to remember, memory (1st 2 chars.) + ability). Henshall explains the composition of 憶 (OKU: recollection) this way: a memory is a thought (意) kept in the heart ().

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