亠
六
八 - Eight
Two strokes split apart like arms stretching wide-this is 八, the sign of Eight.
Imagine them opening like a folding fan (suehirogari), a Japanese symbol of prosperity.
From the gap bursts the eight-headed serpent Yamata-no-Orochi, each head hissing “hachi, hachi!” like buzzing bees (hachi also means bee in Japanese).
Overhead, festival lanterns glow on August 8 (hachi-gatsu hachi-nichi), the luckiest date, while the crowd chants yaoyorozu-“eight million gods.”
Whenever you see 八, picture two arms opening into fortune’s gate, alive with serpents, fans, bees, and endless abundance.
