Meaning & readings
autumn
On’yomi シュウ
Kun’yomi あき、とき
Nanori あい
Origin
Autumn is the season when crops mature and are harvested, so this character combines two ideas: 禾, which represents grain or crops, and 火, which represents fire or heat. The intense heat of late summer ripens the grain, making autumn the season when the harvest is ready. The two components together create the visual and conceptual picture of the season defined by mature crops and the warm conditions that brought them to completion.
Components
- 禾
- 火
Common words
- 今秋 こんしゅう this autumn; this fall
- 秋口 あきぐち beginning of autumn; beginning of fall
- 秋風 あきかぜ autumn breeze; fall breeze
- 秋分 しゅうぶん autumnal equinox; autumn equinox
- 春秋 しゅんじゅう spring and autumn; spring and fall
- 昨秋 さくしゅう autumn of last year; fall of last year
- 秋季 しゅうき fall season; autumn season
- 千秋楽 せんしゅうらく final day of a performance; closing date
Reference
- Strokes
- 9
- Kangxi radical
- 115
- Formation type
- Compound ideographic (combined meanings)
- Grade
- Grade 2 (Kyōiku)
- Frequency rank
- #635 (newspapers)
- Former JLPT
- level 3
- Unicode
- U+079CB