Character Traits

芥川 龍之介。Let's consider the 芥 character of his family name (川 is kawa, river). First, the radical, in this case the top bit, the 冠: here from grass、weed, 草, kusa. The bottom is 介、kai, middle or between, as in 介護、or care (providing). What does 芥、akuta, mean? あくた【芥】. 〘 名詞 〙 腐ったりなどして打ち捨てられているもの。ごみ。くず。廃物。また、比喩(ひゆ)的に、役に立たないもの・無益なものをいう: rubbish, putrefaction. While 芥 can also mean 辛子、Japanese mustard, its meaning is primarily unpropitious. Interesting.