羨ましい

うらやましい · urayamashii · JLPT N3 · i-adj

enviable

🐑 羨 = sheep 羊 + drool 次: drooling over someone else's mutton

The lower part 次 comes from an old character meaning saliva, so 羨 is mouth-watering desire. Sound hook: ura (behind) + yama (mountain), like the grass always being greener on the mountain behind yours.

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