象

音読おんよみ: ショウ・ゾウ

訓読くんよみ: かたどる

画数かくすう: 12 strokes

部首ぶしゅ: 豕(いのこ)

Meaning

Elephant, shape, phenomenon, image — used in words that describe both physical forms and abstract ideas.


  • ぞう — elephant
  • 印象いんしょう — impression
  • 気象きしょう — weather
  • 現象げんしょう — phenomenon
  • 対象たいしょう — object, target
  • 抽象ちゅうしょう — abstraction
  • 象徴しょうちょう — symbol

The character 象 originally depicted the form of an elephant — a long trunk and large body. It later extended to mean shape or image and was borrowed for abstract meanings like impression and phenomenon.

動物園どうぶつえんぞうました。
I saw an elephant at the zoo.

かれ言葉ことばつよ印象いんしょうのこしました。
His words left a strong impression.

Often read as ゾウ when referring to the animal (象) or abstract nouns like 現象 and 印象. The reading ショウ is seen in compound words like 抽象 (abstraction) and 象徴 (symbolism).

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