Nihongo

Kanji Detail of 唆

Level:N1 Low
Strokes:10
Stroke Order
Related Words
AI Explanation
Basic Meaning

The kanji generally conveys the meaning of "to instigate," "to incite," or "to provoke." It often implies urging someone to do something, especially something negative or undesirable. It suggests a subtle encouragement that leads to an action.

Readings

・On-yomi (音読み): ソ (so) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): そそのかす (sosonokasu)

Usage Examples

⚫︎ 悪事を Translation: To instigate a misdeed. ⚫︎ 陰謀を Translation: To incite a conspiracy. ⚫︎ 彼女は彼を喧嘩にした Translation: She provoked him into a fight.

Origin and Formation

The kanji is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phonetic-semantic compound. The left side is the radical 口 (kuchi), meaning "mouth," and indicates the character's association with speech or words. The right side is 皮 (kawa), the phonetic component, which provides the sound and hints at an action of prompting. The combination suggests using words (mouth) to incite or encourage someone, much like a person’s skin (皮) responds to external stimuli.

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