Nihongo

Kanji Detail of 仰

Level:N1 Low
Strokes:6
Stroke Order
Related Words
AI Explanation
Basic Meaning

The kanji primarily conveys the idea of "to look up," "to respect," "to look up to," or "to receive." It suggests an upward gaze, often associated with a feeling of admiration, reverence, or seeking guidance. It can also imply a request or order.

Readings

・On-yomi (音読み): ギョウ (gyō) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): あお(ぐ) (ao(gu))

Usage Examples

⚫︎ 信仰 (shinkō) Translation: Faith; belief; religious faith ⚫︎ 仰角 (gyōkaku) Translation: Angle of elevation ⚫︎ 仰向け (aomuke) Translation: Face up; supine

Origin and Formation

The kanji is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound character. The left side is a 人 (nin, "person" or "human"). The right side is 卬, which is a phonetic component, representing the sound ギョウ (gyō). The original meaning of the character was related to looking upwards. The addition of the "person" radical likely served to create a more concrete visual representation and to tie the action to human behavior and respect. The top part is similar to the character of 人 (nin, "person"), which gives the shape of a person. The bottom shows the shape of a mouth, indicating speech or a command.

Menus