Meaning & readings
foster, bring up, rear, develop, nurture
On’yomi ヨウ、リョウ
Kun’yomi やしな.う
Nanori や
Origin
The character combines sheep (羊) at the top, which provides a sound hint for pronunciation, with food or eating (食) below. Together these parts suggest nourishing and caring for livestock—specifically raising animals like sheep by feeding them. Over time, the meaning expanded beyond animal husbandry to describe nurturing and developing anything, whether crops, skills, or children. The food component captures the essence of sustenance and growth, while the sheep component historically helped speakers remember how to pronounce the word.
Common words
- 栄養 えいよう nutrition; nourishment
- 休養 きゅうよう rest; relaxation
- 供養 くよう memorial service for the dead; holding a service
- 教養 きょうよう (understanding or appreciation of) culture; (one's) education
- 滋養 じよう nourishment; nutrition
- 培養 ばいよう culture; cultivation
- 扶養 ふよう support (e.g. of one's dependents); maintenance
- 保養 ほよう health preservation; recuperation
Reference
- Strokes
- 15
- Kangxi radical
- 184
- Formation type
- Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint)
- Grade
- Grade 4 (Kyōiku)
- Frequency rank
- #888 (newspapers)
- Former JLPT
- level 1
- Unicode
- U+0990A