Kanji Kaisen

漢字Kanji · in States & Attributes

奏: play music, speak to a ruler

Also: complete

JLPT N19 strokesGrade 6Your ink: 白 Not met

𡗗 and 天 are drawn in

9 strokes

Two readings, and the words that use each

ソウsou · on'yomi · in compounds

  • 吹奏楽すいそうがくwind-instrument music
  • 協奏曲きょうそうきょくconcerto
  • 演奏会えんそうかいconcert
  • 二重奏にじゅうそうinstrumental duo
  • 合奏するがっそうするplay in concert
  • 伴奏するばんそうするaccompany (music)
  • 演奏するえんそうするperform (music)

かなでるkanaderu · kun'yomi · on its own

  • 奏でるかなでるplay (an instrument)

Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.

成り立ち

Where it comes from

Origin · sourced

Ideogrammic compound (會意)

Two hands (廾) holding an object, perhaps a musical instrument used during a sacrifical ritual (the lower part of the object originally was similar to 夲).

Source: Wiktionary, 奏 (rev. 93447820), CC BY-SA 4.0

Memory story · made up to help you remember

“Large (大) + hands + wood. It originally related to offering a "great" gift or a "report" to a superior with both hands—now commonly used for the grand performance of music.”
繋がり
Ink shades, lightest to darkest: 白 Not met, 淡 Met, 中 Learning, 濃 Familiar, 印 Mastered

Easy to confuse

The difference, side by side
奏 play music · 天
vs春 springtime · 日
奏 has 天 where 春 has 日.
In ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · zòu

Same form: 奏 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).

Simplified
奏 mainland China, Singapore
Traditional
奏 Taiwan, Hong Kong

Pinyin zòu most common reading

Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.

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