史
history, chronicle
Readings
On'yomi
- シ
Kun'yomi
—
Nanori
- あきら
- あや
- お
- こ
- ちか
- とし
- なか
- のぶ
- ひさ
- ひと
- ふみ
Meaning
史 centers on the recording and study of past events: history and chronicles. It captures the idea of documenting what has happened.
Most common words using 史
20 of 211- 歴史れきしN4
history
- 史し
history
- 史上しじょうN1
in history; ever; historical
- 史実しじつ
historical fact
- 史料しりょう
historical materials; historical records; historical sources; archives
- 史跡しせき
historic landmark; historic site; historic remains
- 史観しかん
historical view; view of history (from a given point of view)
- 女史じょしN1
lady (of high social status; e.g. scholar, artist, critic, politician)
- 正史せいし
official history; authorized history
- 有史ゆうし
recorded in history; historical
- 史学しがく
study of history
- 先史せんし
prehistory
- 戦史せんし
military history; military annals
- 史記しき
Shiji (first of China's 24 dynastic histories); Records of the Grand Historian
- 史家しか
historian
- 国史こくし
history of a nation; Japanese history
- 通史つうし
overview of history
- 史書ししょ
history book
- 史的してき
historic; historical
- 前史ぜんし
prehistory
Study
Etymology
史 originally depicted a hand holding a writing instrument, representing a scribe or recorder of events. Over time, it came to mean the records themselves: history.
Meaning mnemonic
The top looks like a hand holding a brush, and the bottom 口 is a mouth or a document. Picture a scribe recording spoken words into a chronicle.
Reading mnemonic
For シ, imagine a scribe writing history on a sheet of paper: sheet -> シ, and the sheet becomes the chronicle.