The Japanese Radical: 月


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Meaning
month    月

Explanation The radical tsuki stands for moon or month when used at the right side of a character. However the radical niku that stands for body or body-part is in many cases simplified to and thus looks equal as "moon".

Used in these characters:
JLPT 5Joyo 1
moon, month
tsuki, GETSU, GATSU
The radical means moon or month. (The kanji for meat/flesh as a radical is typically simplified to this: )
Image of an ascending moon.  
JLPT 4Joyo 1
blue, young
aoi, SEI, SHŌ
Top: growing plant (Variation of live ), below: moon (not mismatch with )
Growing plants appear in the light of the moon as blue and young.  
JLPT 4Joyo 1
Evening
, SEKI
Image of a crescent moon , similar to moon
When the moon is not full (one stroke is missing) it's only evening.  
JLPT 3Joyo 2
sunny, bright, clear up
hareru, SEI
Left: day/sun , right: young, blue (Growing plants appear in the moonshine as blue and young.)
Sunny and blue (sky) - It's sunny and the weather's cleared up.  
JLPT 4Joyo 2
morning
asa, CHŌ
Left: sunrise (The sun rises between plants ), right: moon
At sunrise, the moon is still there: It is morning.  
JLPT 4Joyo 2
bright, lightful, clear
akarui, akeru, MEI, MYŌ

Sun and moon : Both shine bright and clear.  
JLPT 3Joyo 3
period, term
KI, GO
Left: (The image of a grain shovel/scoop (tool for threshing), that is used for throwing up the grain rhythmically in certain periods to separate the grain from the husk.), right: moon
Grain scoops (at work) and the moon are only seen periodically.  
JLPT 3Joyo 3
lake
mizuumi, KO
From left: Water , old (=tomb-stone), moon
Water and the old moon can be seen in the lake.  
JLPT 3Joyo 3
extinguish, erase
kesu, kieru, SHŌ
Left: water , right: alike/resemble sb. (Small bodies / are alike.)
With water or sth. alike you can extinguish.  
JLPT 4Joyo 2
meat, flesh
NIKU
Top: inside , person - Or: twice [=rips], around which the meat is. (As a radical simplified to: , which looks equal as the radical for month/moon)
The inside of a person is flesh. (Or easier: Image of marbled meat.)  
JLPT 3Joyo 4
scatter, disperse, squander
chiru, SAN
Left: together and moon , right: strike (stick in a hand )
Together in the moonshine, we want to strike and then scatter.  
JLPT 3Joyo 4
clean, pure, platonic
kiyoi, SEI, SHŌ
Left: water , right: blue, young (Growing plants appear in the moonshine as blue and young.)
Water that is blue is also clean and pure.  
JLPT 3Joyo 4
silent, quiet, calm
shizuka, SEI, JŌ
Left: blue/young (Growing plants appear in the moonshine as blue and young.), right: dispute (bent person with stick in hand ナ/ヨ looks for a dispute)
A "young" dispute is still silent and quiet.  
JLPT 2Joyo 5
passion, sympathy, feeling, emotion, fact
nasake, JŌ, SEI
Left: feeling , right: young, blue (Growing plants appear in the moonshine as blue and young.)
The feeling of the youth is passion.  
JLPT 2Joyo 5
spirit, refine, soul, energy
SEI, SHŌ
Left: rice , right: blue (Growing plants appear in the moonshine as blue and young.)
Rice that has been grown under the moon is full of spirit.  
JLPT 2Joyo 5
ability, capacity, competence
atau,
Left: nose and body , right: claws /
(i.e. at masks at Nō-theater or at dog breeding) Nose, body and claws prove ability.  
JLPT 1Joyo 6
seawater, tide
shio, CHŌ
Left: water , right: morning - BETTER: lake , having the part: "old " both normal and upside-down to show changing directions of the tides.
The lake with changing directions stands for: seawater & tides.  
JLPT 1Joyo 6
alliance, vow, oath
MEI
Top: bright/clear (sun and moon ), bottom: plate (Alternatively: On a bright plate, the alliance is served)
When "sun" and "moon" eat from the same plate, they have formed an alliance.  
JLPT 1Joyo 6
cheerful, melodious, merry
hogaraka,
Left: vari. of good , right: moon
The good old moon is cheerful.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
alike, resemblance, imitate, emulation
ayakaru, SHŌ
Top: var. of small , bottom: body or body-part /
Small bodies are alike.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
model, make (of clay)
SO
Top: new moon [さく] (= 1. day of lunar month) 朔 (disobedient or reverse [chinese only], var. of reverse/opposite [out to the mountain and downwards movements are reversed] & moon , bottom: earth
For forming a counterpart of the moon you can use earth/clay and modelize it  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
shelf, rack
tana,
Left: tree , right: friend, comrade 朋 (two moons/months)
The tree will be within two months: a shelf.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
hegemony, domination, leadership, supremacy, champion
HA
西
Top: west 西 (Sunset of the sun under the horizon in the west), bottom: leather (The horned 廿 animal has a skin of leather), month
In the west, they make (as much) leather within a month to get leadership as hegemon.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
fear, timidity, cowardice, to be afraid
OKU
Left: moon/ body , right: intention, thought (= the sounds of my heart )
In the moonlight, my thoughts are haunted by fear and timidity.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
ridicule, scoff, sneer
azakeru, CHŪ
Left: mouth , right: morning (= sunrise [= sun rises between plants ] and the moon is still there.)
This mouth early in the morning cannot but ridicule sneer.  

Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning.

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