Meaning & readings

defer, turnover, transfer, convey

On’yomi ジョウ
Kun’yomi ゆず.る
Nanori ゆずり

Origin

The character combines the word radical , which indicates this character relates to speech or communication, with a sound component 㐮 on the right that hints at the pronunciation. The meaning developed from the idea of speaking or discussing a transfer of something — when you defer to someone or hand something over, you typically discuss or agree to it through words. The left side tells you this is about language, while the right side simply suggests how it sounds. Over time, the character came to represent the act of yielding, deferring, or transferring itself, not just the discussion of it.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint).

20 strokes

Components

  • radical left
  • 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

  • 割譲 かつじょう cession (of territory)
  • 譲る ゆずる to hand over; to transfer
  • 譲渡 じょうと transfer; assignment
  • 譲歩 じょうほ concession; conciliation
  • 分譲 ぶんじょう selling (real-estate) lots
  • 移譲 いじょう handing over (of a right, property, etc.); transfer
  • 親譲り おやゆずり inheritance from a parent (property, trait, physique, etc.)
  • 譲り渡す ゆずりわたす to hand over; to turn over

Reference

Strokes
20
Kangxi radical
149
Grade
Jōyō (secondary school)
Frequency rank
#984 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 1
Unicode
U+08B72