a kanji post-script

A post-script to the Nisekonian story is the discovery of the kanji for 'mother-in-law':

姑

The kanji is made up of the symbol for 'woman' and 'old'. So a mother-in-law is 'an old woman'.

Take a look at the kanji for 'father-in-law' however... 

舅

A little different this time. The bottom bit is 'man' and the top is 'mortar'. So 'a strong man'. A man that binds families together. 

Similarly, the kanji for 'son' and 'daughter' carry different meanings. The one for 'daughter' is 娘 or 'good woman' and the kanji for 'son' or 息 also the carries the meaning for 'breath' and is made up of the radicals for 'heart' and 'self'. So the son is your very heart and self - the breath of life? Whereas your daughter is just pretty 'good'.

Still, the Kanji come from China originally, so if you're an offended mother-in-law, don't go blaming Japan! Blame ancient China instead.