hand

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 手 has 4 strokes, the on-reading しゅ, and the kun-readings て and た. 手 (て) can mean a hand or a means or method.
• Basic usage: 手 names a body part or a way to accomplish something; 手紙 (てがみ) means a letter.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Hands, methods, and the word for a letter
  • 両手をポケットに入れた means put both hands in one's pockets. この手を試してみよう means let us try this method, with 手 expressing a means.
  • 友達へ手紙を書きました means wrote a letter to a friend. 昔の手紙 refers to an old letter found in a desk drawer.