Question

化 ば.ける、ば.かす、ふ.ける、け.する 強化(きょうか): strengthen; intensify; reinforce; solidify; enhancement文化(ぶんか): (1) culture; civilization; civilisation (2) Bunka era (1804.2.11-1818.4.22)変化(へんか): (1) change; variation; alteration; mutation; transition; transformation; transfiguration; metamorphosis (2) variety; diversity (3) inflection; declension; conjugation (4) sidestepping (sumo)悪化(あっか): (suffer) deterioration; growing worse; aggravation; degeneration; corruption化学(かがく): (1) chemistry (2) chemical company (e.g. Acme Chemical Co.)酸化(さんか): oxidation化粧(けしょう): make-up; makeup; cosmetics化石(かせき): fossil; petrifaction; fossilization; fossilisation文化財(ぶんかざい): cultural assets; cultural property消化(しょうか): (1) digestion (2) thorough understanding (3) selling accumulated (excess) products; dealing with a large amount of work (4) losing one's form and turning into something else進化(しんか): evolution; progress化ける(ばける): (1) to take the form of (esp. in ref. to a spirit, fox, raccoon dog, etc.); to assume the shape of; to turn oneself into; to transform oneself into (2) to disguise oneself as (3) to change radically; to metamorphose (4) to improve unexpectedly and dramatically (esp. of an actor, artist, rikishi, etc.)化合(かごう): chemical combination化繊(かせん): synthetic fibres (fibers)誤魔化す(ごまかす): (1) to deceive; to falsify; to misrepresent; to cheat; to swindle; to tamper; to juggle; to manipulate (2) to dodge; to beg the question (issue, difficulties) (3) to varnish over; to gloss over退化(たいか): degeneration; retrogression化(か): action of making something; -ification 3 人: person匕: spoon; spoon or katakana hi radical (no. 21) 匕 2 (none) change Mr. T reaches into his wallet for some spare change but it has all changed into spoons.

Accepted Answer

カ、ケ change, take the form of, influence, enchant, delude, -ization 3 89 4 21 さじ・さじのひ・さじづくり・ひ 会意 Compound Ideographic Referring to a scene in the movie "The Matrix" where a girl bends a spoon with the power of her mind alone, I imagine Mister T who changes a spoon into something else (maybe the waiter forgot to bring knives or forks). Note: as a primitive, it can help to use the image of "spare change", this can help you keep it distinct from other similar kanji such as "shape" or "turn into".

Kanji	化
Onyomi	カ、ケ
Kunyomi	ば.ける、ば.かす、ふ.ける、け.する
English	change, take the form of, influence, enchant, delude, -ization
Examples	強化(きょうか): strengthen; intensify; reinforce; solidify; enhancement 文化(ぶんか): (1) culture; civilization; civilisation (2) Bunka era (1804.2.11-1818.4.22) 変化(へんか): (1) change; variation; alteration; mutation; transition; transformation; transfiguration; metamorphosis (2) variety; diversity (3) inflection; declension; conjugation (4) sidestepping (sumo) 悪化(あっか): (suffer) deterioration; growing worse; aggravation; degeneration; corruption 化学(かがく): (1) chemistry (2) chemical company (e.g. Acme Chemical Co.) 酸化(さんか): oxidation 化粧(けしょう): make-up; makeup; cosmetics 化石(かせき): fossil; petrifaction; fossilization; fossilisation 文化財(ぶんかざい): cultural assets; cultural property 消化(しょうか): (1) digestion (2) thorough understanding (3) selling accumulated (excess) products; dealing with a large amount of work (4) losing one's form and turning into something else 進化(しんか): evolution; progress 化ける(ばける): (1) to take the form of (esp. in ref. to a spirit, fox, raccoon dog, etc.); to assume the shape of; to turn oneself into; to transform oneself into (2) to disguise oneself as (3) to change radically; to metamorphose (4) to improve unexpectedly and dramatically (esp. of an actor, artist, rikishi, etc.) 化合(かごう): chemical combination 化繊(かせん): synthetic fibres (fibers) 誤魔化す(ごまかす): (1) to deceive; to falsify; to misrepresent; to cheat; to swindle; to tamper; to juggle; to manipulate (2) to dodge; to beg the question (issue, difficulties) (3) to varnish over; to gloss over 退化(たいか): degeneration; retrogression 化(か): action of making something; -ification
JLPT Level	3
Jouyou Grade	3
Frequency	89
Components	人: person 匕: spoon; spoon or katakana hi radical (no. 21)
Number of Strokes	4
Kanji Radical	匕
Radical Number	21
Radical Strokes	2
Radical Reading	さじ・さじのひ・さじづくり・ひ
Traditional Form	(none)
Classification	会意 Compound Ideographic
Keyword	change
Koohii Story 1	Referring to a scene in the movie "The Matrix" where a girl bends a spoon with the power of her mind alone, I imagine Mister T who changes a spoon into something else (maybe the waiter forgot to bring knives or forks). Note: as a primitive, it can help to use the image of "spare change", this can help you keep it distinct from other similar kanji such as "shape" or "turn into".
Koohii Story 2	Mr. T reaches into his wallet for some spare change but it has all changed into spoons.

Form Chemical Oneself Change Spoon Degeneration Cultural Esp