唐 suddenly

(cave) + (brush/fork) + 口 (mouth/small box radical)
★☆☆☆☆
10 strokes
JERK
In China, this meant Tang Dynasty. The Japanese generally use it to mean 'sudden.' The only hint of its Chinese roots is the Japanese word for 'barbarian.' WTF??? I have no idea if this is also how Chinese use it or if that's just Japan making fun of the Tangs. Anyone out there know?

Onyomi

TOU

Mnemonic

I suddenly tripped on my TOES and fell into the mouth of a cave, landing on an upturned fork. Ouch.

Kunyomi

あ*げる You’ll only see this in the word 唐揚げ (kara-age), meaning ‘fried chicken’.
★★☆☆☆

Jukugo

唐突(とうとつ) な or  に

sudden, unexpected ★☆☆☆☆
唐 (suddenly) + 突 (thrust) = 唐突 (sudden, unexpected)

sudden AND unrelated to whatever came before it. Similar to 急に  and 突然, but it emphasizes a random change, emphasizes that there is no cause-and-effect relationship. In other words, 唐突 is not just a sudden guy jumping out from behind a bush or a sudden thunderstorm. 唐突 is more like someone apropos of nothing changing the topic of conversation or getting mad for no apparent reason.

毛唐(けとう)

hairy barbarian! ☆☆☆☆☆ OBSOLETEABU
毛 (fur) + 唐 (suddenly) = 毛唐 (hairy barbarian!)

Lookalikes

Meaning Hint Radical
康 health WATER 水
逮 arrest MOVE
唐 suddenly MOUTH 口

Drink WATER for your health.

The cops MOVE to arrest you.

He said something suddenly with his MOUTH.

Used In

Synonyms

unexpected
突然    唐突