解説

かいせつ · kaisetsu · JLPT N2 · noun

explanation

🗣️ 解 (untie/solve) + 説 (speech) = speech that unties a puzzle, i.e. an explanation

解 means untie or solve and 説 means speak or theory, so 解説 is speaking to undo confusion. Think of a commentator who untangles a game for viewers.

解 — horn 角 + knife 刀 + ox 牛
解 is an ideograph showing hands using a knife (刀) to separate the horn (角) from an ox (牛). The original meaning was to butcher or dismember an ox, which broadened to 'untie, separate, loosen,' and then extended figuratively to 'explain' or 'understand'—to take something apart mentally.

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