Nihongo

Kanji Detail of 咲

Level:N2 Low
Strokes:9
Stroke Order
Related Words
AI Explanation
Basic Meaning

The kanji primarily represents the action of "blooming" or "to flower," referring to the opening of a flower. It also extends to mean "to smile" or "to be in full bloom," conveying a sense of flourishing, joy, and vibrancy.

Readings

・On-yomi (音読み): ・ショウ ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ・さ(く)

Usage Examples

⚫︎桜(さくら)が咲(さ)く Translation: The cherry blossoms bloom. ⚫︎笑顔(えがお)が咲(さ)く Translation: A smile appears / smiles bloom. ⚫︎花(はな)が咲(さ)き誇(ほこ)る Translation: The flowers bloom splendidly.

Origin and Formation

The kanji is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, けいせいもじ). ⚫︎ The semantic component is 木(き) (tree/wood) representing something related to plants. ⚫︎ The phonetic component is 笑(しょう) (laugh, smile), which provides the sound and hints at the meaning of "blooming" as a flourishing and joyful process, just as smiling is. The character was created to represent the image of a flower blooming beautifully.

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