Some kanji are easy to write, easy to understand, and don't change their meaning in combination with other kanji. These are the kanji to treasure and cherish.
十 is such a kanji. We know its two main pronunciations とう (the default counter) and じゅう; it's hard to imagine a character that's easy to write; and it means '10' wherever you see it.
Well, maybe not. Of the relatively small number of compounds with 十, there are a few idioms.
- 三十日, when pronounced みそか, means 'the last day of the month';
- 十字, pronounced じゅうじ, means cross or cross shape (字 means letter or character, don't confuse it with 学, learning or study);
- 十分 (じゅうぶん) means enough, satisfactory, also: perfectly,fully (分 has meanings as diverse as 'a minute' and 'to understand'), while 十二分 means more than enough.
And finally, a cultural idiom: 四十七士 (しじゅうしちし) means 'the 47 ronin'. These ronin (a ronin is a samurai without a master) are the stuff of legend, famously plotting revenge for the death of their master for a year, killing the culprit, one Lord Kira, and then committing せっぷく, ritual suicide. The picture at the top of the post shows the ronin, though perhaps not all 47 (I didn't count them).
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