漢字Kanji · in Nature & Elements
示: show, indicate
Also: point out, express, display
Oracle bone · Shang Bronze · Shang Small seal · Qin Today
Oracle bone and bronze: Wikimedia Commons, traced from Academia Sinica, CC0. Small seal: Academia Sinica 小學堂, CC0. Today’s form: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Three readings, and the words that use each
ジji · on'yomi · in compounds
- 示談じだんsettlement out of court
- 掲示するけいじするput up a notice
- 指示するしじするindicate, instruct, direct
- 誇示するこじするemphasize, show off, display
- 展示するてんじするexhibit, display [v.t.]
- 表示するひょうじするmark, display [v.t.]
- 暗示するあんじするhint, suggest
- 訓示するくんじするinstruct, give instructions
- 啓示するけいじするapocalypse, reveal
シshi · on'yomi
- 示唆するしさするsuggest, give a hint
しめすshimesu · kun'yomi · on its own
- 示すしめすpoint out, indicate
Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.
Where it comes from
Origin · sourced
Pictogram (象形)
An altar. The original form is similar to unrelated character 丅, and additional strokes are added to prevent confusion with an ancient variant of 下 and the ancient version of 主.
Source: Wiktionary, 示 (rev. 93594705), CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“The base kanji for showing or indicating, originally representing the "altar" where divine will was revealed to the people.”
Connections
In ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · shì
Same form: 示 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).
- Simplified
- 示 mainland China, Singapore
- Traditional
- 示 Taiwan, Hong Kong
Pinyin shì most common reading
Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.