字 Kanji Decipher

Meaning & readings

appellation, praise, admire, name, title, fame

On’yomi ショウ
Kun’yomi たた.える、とな.える、あ.げる、かな.う、はか.り、はか.る、ほめ.る
Nanori ね

Origin

The character 称 combines two parts to show how language works. The left component 禾 represents grain or crops, which metaphorically refers to things that grow and flourish—extended to mean things that are fitting or suitable. The right component 尓 serves as a sound hint, telling you roughly how the character is pronounced, without adding meaning itself. Together these parts created a character that means to call something by a fitting name, to praise, or to give a title to something—the idea of matching the right words or names to things, making them suitable and recognized.

称 10 strokes

Components

  • 禾 radical left
  • 尓 sound hint right

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

Common words

  • 愛称 あいしょう pet name; nickname
  • 仮称 かしょう temporary name; provisional name
  • 敬称 けいしょう honorific title; honorific term of address
  • 呼称 こしょう name; designation
  • 公称 こうしょう public announcement; official statement
  • 詐称 さしょう misrepresentation; false statement
  • 自称 じしょう self-proclaimed; self-professed
  • 称号 しょうごう title; name

Related kanji

Same sound component 尓
Same radical

Easily confused with

These look alike but are unrelated in meaning — check the stroke that differs.

Reference

Strokes
10
Kangxi radical
115
Formation type
Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint)
Grade
Jōyō (secondary school)
Frequency rank
#985 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 1
Unicode
U+079F0