Talk:〼

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A masu with a volume of one shō (1,804 ml)

Is this character meant to look like a square with a diagonal line extending from its bottom–left-hand corner to its top–right-hand corner? If so, what's the logic of that? — I.S.M.E.T.A. 22:11, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

I don't speak Japanese, but my guess is yes. The etymology says it's pronounced the same way as 枡 ("masu", a square wooden box), so maybe the square with the diagonal line is supposed to look like a box. —Mr. Granger (talk • contribs) 22:39, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for that. The image in ja:w:枡 and en:w:Masu (measurement), which I've added hereto, suggests you may be right. Still missing the diagonal line, however. — I.S.M.E.T.A. 23:27, 11 December 2014 (UTC)

The line may be to indicate depth. Another aspect is that it alleviates homography whilst being easy to write. Nibiko (talk) 12:36, 21 January 2015 (UTC)

• Yes, as Nibiko notes, adding the line makes this 〼 symbol immediately and obviously distinct from the 口 kanji meaning “mouth”, which has no such diagonal line. ‑‑ Eiríkr Útlendi │ Tala við mig 19:00, 21 January 2015 (UTC)