Meaning & readings

robust, manhood, prosperity

On’yomi ソウ
Kun’yomi さかん
Nanori つよし

Origin

The character combines two parts to convey strength and vigor. On the left, the "person" component (⺦) serves as a sound hint suggesting how the character is pronounced. On the right, the "warrior" or "samurai" component () carries the core meaning—a warrior represents the peak of physical strength and masculine vigor. Together, these parts create a character meaning robust health, manhood, and prosperity, drawing on the cultural association between warriors and power.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint).

6 strokes

Components

  • sound hint left
  • radical right

A sound hint component points at the character’s pronunciation, not its meaning — don’t read a meaning into it.

Common words

  • 強壮 きょうそう able-bodied; robust
  • 壮行 そうこう (rousing) send-off; farewell
  • 壮大 そうだい magnificent; grand
  • 壮年 そうねん prime of life
  • 壮烈 そうれつ heroic; brave
  • 悲壮 ひそう tragic but brave; heroic

Reference

Strokes
6
Kangxi radical
33
Grade
Jōyō (secondary school)
Frequency rank
#1657 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 1
Unicode
U+058EE