Onyomi: ショウ, セイ · Kunyomi: -う, い.かす, い.きる, い.ける, う.まれ, う.まれる, う.む, うま.れる, うまれ, お.う, き, な.す, な.る, なま, なま-, は.える, は.やす, む.す · Meanings: birth, genuine, life
Kanji for birth, genuine, life
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The kanji 生 depicts a plant sprouting from the ground, symbolizing life, growth, and birth. In ancient times, it represented the beginning of life — the seed emerging from the soil and reaching toward the sun. Over centuries, 生 came to mean life, birth, raw existence, and living things. It captures the natural energy of growth, vitality, and the ongoing cycle of life.
A sprout emerging from the soil — 生 means life, birth, or growth, the beginning of all living things.
Picture a tiny green shoot pushing through the earth — that’s 生, the symbol of life, growth, and new beginnings.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 生 | なま | raw, uncooked, fresh | common JLPT-N3 Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', Noun |
| 生 | せい | life, living | Noun |
| 生 | き | pure, undiluted, raw, crude | JLPT-N1 Noun, Prefix |
| 生 | ふ | area of thick growth (of trees, grass, etc.) | Noun, Noun, used as a suffix |
| 生 | いく | vital, virile, lively | Prefix |
| ウブ | ウブ | inexperienced (in life experience), unsophisticated, green, wet behind the ears | Na-adjective (keiyodoshi), Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', Noun |
| 生り | なまり | boiled and half-dried bonito | Noun |
| 生活 | せいかつ | life, living | common JLPT-N4 Noun, Suru verb, Intransitive verb |
| 生きる | いきる | to live, to exist | common JLPT-N4 Ichidan verb, Intransitive verb |
| 生産 | せいさん | production, manufacture | common JLPT-N4 JLPT-N3 Noun, Suru verb, Transitive verb |