Onyomi: ショウ · Kunyomi: まね.く · Meanings: beckon, engage, invite, summon
Kanji for beckon, engage, invite, summon
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The kanji 招 is made from 手 (hand) on the left and 召 (call/summon) on the right. Long ago, scribes imagined the action of extending your hand to call someone over — a gesture that physically invites or beckons. 手 represents the hand doing the action, while 召 captures the idea of summoning or calling. Together, they formed the image of reaching out to someone with a hand while verbally calling them, which became the kanji for “invite” or “beckon.”
招 shows a hand (手) reaching out to call (召) someone — representing the act of inviting or beckoning.
Imagine extending your hand (手) while calling (召) a friend over to join you. That inviting gesture is exactly what 招 means.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 呼ぶ | よぶ | to call out (to), to call, to invoke | common JLPT-N5 Godan verb with 'bu' ending, Transitive verb |
| 招待 | しょうたい | invitation | common JLPT-N3 Noun, Suru verb, Transitive verb |
| 招く | まねく | to invite, to ask | common JLPT-N3 Godan verb with 'ku' ending, Transitive verb |
| 招き | まねき | invitation | common JLPT-N1 Noun |
| 招集 | しょうしゅう | call, summons, convening, convocation | common Noun, Suru verb, Transitive verb |
| 召喚 | しょうかん | summons, subpoena, citation | Noun, Suru verb, Transitive verb |
| 招かれざる客 | まねかれざるきゃく | uninvited guest | Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.), Noun |
| 招待状 | しょうたいじょう | (written) invitation, letter of invitation | Noun |
| 招待客 | しょうたいきゃく | invitee | Noun |
| 招き入れる | まねきいれる | to invite in, to show someone in | Ichidan verb |
| 招致 | しょうち | invitation, summons, bidding (e.g. to host the Olympics), calling | common Noun, Suru verb, Transitive verb |
| 招請 | しょうせい | invitation | common Noun, Suru verb, Transitive verb |
| 招聘 | しょうへい | (courteous) invitation, call | Noun, Suru verb, Transitive verb |
| 招き猫 | まねきねこ | beckoning cat, figure of a cat with one paw raised (usu. white porcelain) | Noun |
| 招魂社 | しょうこんしゃ | shrine dedicated to the spirits of the war dead | Noun |