Meaning & readings
entertain, revive, retrieve, interest, pleasure
Origin
This character appears to show a wooden frame or structure with something being lifted or raised up, which developed to represent the idea of something coming into being or rising up. The visual sense of elevation and emergence naturally connected to meanings like "revive" and "arise," since both involve something coming back to life or coming into existence. Over time, as the character's meaning broadened, it came to include the sense of something that stirs you emotionally—an interest or pleasure that "rises up" within you. The complex structure reflects how Chinese characters often combine multiple visual elements to build richer meaning from the basic idea of upward motion and activation.
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 (興).
Common words
- 興す おこす to vitalize (e.g. an industry); to invigorate
- 興業 こうぎょう promotion of industry; inauguration of a new industrial enterprise
- 興行 こうぎょう show; performance
- 興奮 こうふん excitement; stimulation
- 興味 きょうみ interest (in something); curiosity (about something)
- 興隆 こうりゅう rise; prosperity
- 振興 しんこう promotion; encouragement
- 新興 しんこう rising; developing
Reference
- Strokes
- 16
- Kangxi radical
- 134
- Grade
- Grade 5 (Kyōiku)
- Frequency rank
- #734 (newspapers)
- Former JLPT
- level 1
- Unicode
- U+08208