military

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 武 has 8 strokes and appears in words related to warriors and military matters.
• Basic usage: 武士 is read ぶし, and 武者 is read むしゃ; both can refer to a Japanese warrior.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Readings depend on the word
  • In 武士, 武 is read ぶ; in 武者, it is read む.
• Expressions modifying nouns
  • 武士が使った鎧 means armor used by a warrior.
  • 馬に乗った武者 means a warrior mounted on a horse.
  • The past forms modify the following nouns, identifying who used the armor or the warrior's mounted state.