Meaning & readings

nativity, be born, declension, lie, be arbitrary

On’yomi タン

Origin

The character 誕 combines the speech radical 言 on the left, which classifies this as a word or statement, with 延 on the right as a sound hint that guides pronunciation toward "tan." The connection to birth and nativity likely comes from the idea of speech or proclamation related to a newborn or a new beginning. The sound component 延, meaning "extend" or "prolong," provides the phonetic value without contributing directly to the meaning. Together, these parts created a character for expressing the concept of birth and coming into existence through language or declaration.

誕 15 strokes

Components

  • 言 radical left
  • 延 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

Reference

Strokes
15
Kangxi radical
149
Formation type
Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint)
Grade
Grade 6 (Kyōiku)
Frequency rank
#1024 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 1
Unicode
U+08A95