芝

JŌYŌ KANJI · Secondary school

turf

turf · lawn

6 strokesRadical 140U+829D
01

Readings

Official Jōyō readings in table order

On’yomi 音読み

None listed in this source.

Kun’yomi 訓読み

しば

Additional readings in the learning dataset

On’yomi

シ

Kun’yomi

None listed in this source.

These are outside the official Jōyō list above. A listed reading is not necessarily common in modern use.

02

Origin and meaning

Formed with the grass radical and a sound element, referring to low grass that spreads densely over the ground.

Earlier sense recorded in the sourcegrass or turf
Meanings in the learning dataset todayturf · lawn

Read the source entry ↗

03

Written form

No parenthesized form is given in the official Jōyō index for this character.

Dictionary radical艸くさ · grass / plant
Stroke count6May vary for alternate forms.
UnicodeU+829DModern character encoding, not an origin date.

Compare manuscript and printed examples in the HNG historical glyph archive ↗. Where available, its dated samples document written forms; they do not establish the first use of this character in Japan.

04

Examples in the official table

  • 芝,芝居

Official notes

  • 芝生(しばふ)
05

When did it enter Japanese?

Chinese characters reached Japan through a long process of contact. Early inscribed objects and sixth-century Japanese names are documented; this is context for the writing system, not a first date for 芝.

芝 appears in the current Jōyō kanji table published on 30 November 2010. This records modern standard status, not the date the character was first used in Japan.

A dated first Japanese use for 芝 has not been verified in the sources attached to this entry.

Agency for Cultural Affairs: writing history ↗ · 2010 Jōyō notice ↗

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