Another kanji riddle!

[keatonatron]

This isn't a riddle like the ones Oyaji sometimes give us--it's based more on reality. The following is a kanji, handwritten by a modern, native Japanese person. They had no idea I was going to do this and were just writing normally. Let's see who will be the first one to figure out what kanji it is. (I do know the answer, so I can give hints)

[richvh]

The left side is pretty clearly te-hen, but the right side isn't so clear... I'm going to go off on a limb here and guess it's 掛.

[two_heads_talking]

Wow, my limited known kanji aren't helping me here.. I've no idea what that's supposed to be.

[furrykef]

Well, I've finished RTK1 and am all too familiar with the 2042 kanji in it, as far as recognizing and writing them is concerned... and I still have no idea what it is.

Rich's guess seems plausible enough, though...

[becki_kanou]

I gave up and asked my husband (NSOJ) and he says he has no idea what it is, but agrees that the left side is probably 手偏.
(Or maybe 木偏).

[Yudan Taiteki]

I assume if we could see the surrounding context we'd figure it out.

(I don't have much practice reading quick handwritten Japanese, but I do have practice reading impossibly small kanji on handheld video games -- sometimes they're almost literally just blobs or solid blocks, and the only way to tell what they are is from context. Here's a good example:
http://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.p ... 630.0.html)

[Garappachi]

(Or maybe 木偏).

いい線、行ってます。^^
年賀状で、このような字を見ませんでしたか？^^

[becki_kanou]

Spoiler:

様？！？！？

ですか？

[keatonatron]

It is indeed 木偏. Let's see if that changes Rich's answer.

It may be impossible for someone to decipher this one, but I'll keep giving hints until someone gets it

[richvh]

Before I embarrass myself further, did you see Becki's guess?

[keatonatron]

Before I embarrass myself further, did you see Becki's guess?

We have a winner!!!

[furrykef]

I'd never have guessed that in a million years.

[keatonatron]

I'd never have guessed that in a million years.

Apparently this:

／
／

Is a shortening of 羊, and the bit that looks like ┼' is a shortening of 水.

[furrykef]

Actually, the bottom part of the right half of 様 is different from 水, because 水 is four strokes, whereas that part of 様 is five (the left part is divided into two strokes, the second of which is written bottom-to-top). But yeah, it still certainly doesn't look like that.

- Kef

[two_heads_talking]

I'd never have guessed that in a million years.

Apparently this:

／
／

Is a shortening of 羊, and the bit that looks like ┼' is a shortening of 水.

Wow, I'd never have guessed that in a million years.