字の旅3,000 years in four forms
Oracle bone · ShangShang · c. 1200 BCE後1.1.2 合7668
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.
The oracle bone, bronze and seal stages show 示, not 礻 itself.
部首Radical · in Nature & Elements
礻 altar, festival, religious service
しめすへん shimesuhen
4 strokesRadical of 14 kanjiPart of 15
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), the entry for the full form, CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“A blessing on the left! When the altar "steps aside" to the left, it brings the protection of the gods to the character. Imagine the entrance to a quiet shrine where prayers are offered for "luck" and "ancestry." When you see it, think of the spiritual side of life—blessings, rituals, and the deep connection to your roots.”
Where it sits in a kanji
Indicates divine blessings, ancestors, spirits, religious ceremonies, good luck, and anything associated with sacred rites or shrines.
What it grows into
- 社companyシャ · やしろ
礻 + 土
Ideogrammic compound · Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 祖ancestorソ
礻 + 且sound
Specialization of 且. See there for more.
Phono-semantic compound · Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 神godsシン · かみ
礻 + 申sound
Phono-semantic compound · Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Every kanji with 礻 as its radical
All 14 kanji