鏡

かがみ · kagami · JLPT N4 · noun

mirror

鏡 — mirror

🪞 kagami = kage (reflection) + mi (see): the thing you see your reflection in

A common etymology splits かがみ into 影 kage (shadow, reflection) + 見 mi (seeing), with kage shifting to kaga in the compound. The kanji 鏡 has the metal radical 金 on the left, since early mirrors were polished bronze.

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