KANJI: SEI SHOU ao (blue, green, young)

ASCII Art Representation:

                      %%,,
                      %%%%"             ,,
    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,%%%%,,,,,,,,,,,,,%%%%,
     """""""""""""""""%%%%""""""""""""""""""
                      %%%%             ,,
     ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,%%%%,,,,,,,,,,,,%%%%,
      """"""""""""""""%%%%"""""""""""""""""
                      %%%%                  ,,
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,%%%%,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,%%%%,
 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
          ,,                       ,,
          %%%%,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,%%%%,
          %%%%""""""""""""""""""""%%%%"
          %%%%                    %%%%
          %%%%,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,%%%%
          %%%%""""""""""""""""""""%%%%
          %%%%                    %%%%
          %%%%,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,%%%%
          %%%%""""""""""""""""""""%%%%
          %%%%                    %%%%
          %%%%                    %%%%
          %%%%                   ,%%%%
          %%%%              """%%%%%%"
          "%%"                  "%%%"

Character Etymology:

The top radical is a simplified version of the character for life. The bottom character is a simplified version of a character meaning bowl or receptacle (not moon!). The two meanings of the characters combine to express growth around a full well, which has connotations of being fresh and green. Green overlaps conceptually with blue, and also has a figurative association with immature and young (as in English).

Other facts:

In Japan, bananas are said to ripen from being blue (aoi) to yellow (kiiroi).

A Listing of All On-Yomi and Kun-Yomi Readings:

on-yomi: SEI SHOU
kun-yomi: ao

Nanori Readings:

Nanori: o

English Definitions:

  1. SEI, SHOU: blue, green; green light.
  2. ao(mu): turn green.
  3. ao(bamu): turn greenish, be tinged with green.
  4. ao(i): blue, green; pale; unripe, green, inexperienced.
  5. ao-: unripe; new; immature; novice; blue; green.

Character Index Numbers:

New Nelson: 6557
Henshall: 43

Unicode Encoded Version:

Unicode Encoded Compound Examples:

(aozora): blue sky.
青物 (aomono): greens, vegetables.
青年男女 (seinen danjo): young men and women.

  Previous: life  |  Japanese Kanji  |  Next: evening