Meaning & readings
feel ashamed
Origin
This character appears to combine the concept of sheep with an element suggesting concealment or hiding. In traditional culture, sheep were seen as gentle, timid animals that would shrink back when embarrassed or frightened. The character's structure suggests something being drawn inward or withdrawn, which captures the physical sensation of shame—the urge to hide or turn away from others' eyes. Over time, the visual idea of a sheep reacting with timidity became associated with human feelings of embarrassment and shame.
AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Pictographic or simple.
Components
This character is treated as a single, undivided shape (羞).
Reference
- Strokes
- 11
- Kangxi radical
- 123
- Grade
- Jōyō (secondary school)
- Frequency rank
- —
- Former JLPT
- —
- Unicode
- U+07F9E