扌 points to hand.
to hold, to support, to sustain
COMMON WORD坚持 · to persevere with; to persist in; to insist onOpen 持 character →The 寺 Character Family
寺 recurs in these common characters. Use it to notice a pattern, then check each character’s own pronunciation and tone.
寺 is a sound clue; the left component changes the meaning.
Learn the semantic clue, then open the character page to practise it in context.
牛 points to ox.
special, unique, distinguished
COMMON WORD特别 · unusual; special; very; especially; particularly; expressly; for a specific purpose; in particularOpen 特 character →亻 points to person.
to serve, to attend upon; servant, attendant; samurai
COMMON WORD侍候 · to serve; to wait uponOpen 侍 character →山 points to mountain.
to pile, to stack; to stand tall
COMMON WORD对峙 · (of mountains etc) to stand facing each other; (fig.) to confront each otherOpen 峙 character →言 points to speech.
poetry; poem, verse, ode
Open 詩 character →Start with these six high-value examples, then open the complete 9-character family when you are ready.
View all 9 family characters →How should I study the 寺 character family?
Compare the meaning-side component, then learn every member in a common word. The shared component is a memory aid, not a fixed pronunciation rule.