what does 母 have to do with 毎? is there any link at all or did it come
together randomly? does it have to do with the Chinese pronunciation?
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2019-05-03T19:52:01.483
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2020-06-26T12:41:52.820
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question
kanji etymology chinese radicals
Kanji etymology of 毎?
According to [the Wiktionary
entry](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%AF%8F#Glyph_origin), the 母 portion
is purely phonetic -- that is, it has to do with the [ancient] Chinese
pronunciation.
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2019-05-03T21:02:37.230
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2019-05-03T21:02:37.230
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每, the old form kanji of 毎, has 母 in it. My dictionary says that 每 is a
pictogram representing a woman wearing a hair accessory (presumably, every
day).
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2019-05-03T21:49:42.713
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2019-05-03T21:49:42.713
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answer
「每{まい}」([Baxter-
Sagart](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructions_of_Old_Chinese#Baxter%E2%80%93Sagart_\(2014\))
[OC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Chinese): **/*mˤəʔ/** ; _Shinjitai_
:「毎」) was originally a picture of a _woman_ 「女」wearing a _headdress_ ,
indicating the meaning _married woman > adult woman, mother_.「女」was later
_phoneticised_ into「母{も}」( **/*məʔ/** ). The meaning _married/adult woman_ is
no longer associated with the character「每」, and the modern meaning of「每」(
_each, every_ ) is a phonetic loan.

`[商](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_dynasty)  
[甲](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_bone_script)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ULy6Y.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ULy6Y.png)  
[粹](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference)340  
[合集27633](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&bh=27633&jgwfl=)``[西周](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou)  
[金](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_bronze_inscriptions)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tddjG.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tddjG.png)  
尊  
[集成6014](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=6014&jgwfl=)``  
[篆](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_seal_script)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tsOHG.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tsOHG.png)  
[屮部](https://ctext.org/library.pl?if=gb&file=77389&page=30)  
[說文解字](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuowen_Jiezi)``[東漢](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty#Eastern_Han)  
[隸](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerical_script)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/OSzOI.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/OSzOI.png)  
費鳳碑  
``今  
[楷](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_script)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lAMbR.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lAMbR.png)  
  
`

>   * _Phoneticisation_ is the name of a change which transforms or replaces
> one component to another component which gives a sound indication to the
> character.
>
>   * 「母」and「女」were very similar glyphs - the only difference between the two
> is that「母」draws out two dots, indicating _nipples_ > _breasts_ , emphasising
> the meaning _mother_.
>
> `商  
> 甲  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/iVw4P.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/iVw4P.png)  
>
> [鐵](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference)164.1  
> [合集3091](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&bh=3091&jgwfl=)``西周  
> 金  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xO7QS.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xO7QS.png)  
> 農卣  
>
> [集成5424](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=5424&jgwfl=)``[春秋](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_and_Autumn_period)・[齊](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi_\(state\))  
> 金  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/a1UWK.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/a1UWK.png)  
> 齊侯盤  
>
> [集成10159](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=10159&jgwfl=)``[戰國](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warring_States_period)・[楚](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chu_\(state\))  
> [簡](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_and_wooden_slips)  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kbHdc.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kbHdc.png)  
>
> [{{kr:包}}2](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/ChuwenziReference)・83  
>  ``[秦](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_dynasty)  
> 簡  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0El3x.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0El3x.png)  
>
> [睡・封](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/QinwenziReference)86  
>  ``今  
> 楷  
> [![enter image description
> here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0jWZ9.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0jWZ9.png)  
>  
>  `
>
>   * In the earliest inscriptions,「每」was used as a variant of「母」due to the
> similar meanings and sounds, and you can view the headdress shape or the
> nipple dots as differentiating marks to distinguish「母」or「每」from「女」.
>
>

In the original sense of _woman_ ,「每」is a semantic component in e.g.「毓」, which
is now replaced by「育」. See [Is 云 related to in any
way?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/64824/26510)

* * *

**References:**

  * 季旭昇《說文新證》
  * [Multi-function Chinese Character Database](http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/)
  * [小學堂](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/)
  * [國學大師](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/)
    * [郭沫若《甲骨文合集》](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/)
    * [中國社會科學院考古研究{{kr:所}}《殷周金文集成》](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/)
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2019-05-04T10:09:05.213
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2019-09-01T11:54:20.760
2019-09-01T11:54:20.760
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answer
It is because every person has a mother. The top part is 人. Every human has a
mother.
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2020-06-26T12:41:52.820
78242
2020-06-26T12:41:52.820
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answer