庸
commonplace, ordinary, employment
Readings
On'yomi
- ヨウ
Kun'yomi
—
Nanori
- つね
- のぶ
- やす
Meaning
庸 centers on the idea of being unremarkable and serviceable: something ordinary or commonplace, and by extension, the kind of steady, unexceptional work that keeps daily life running.
Most common words using 庸
- 庸よう
tax paid to avoid forced labor (ritsuryō period); tax in kind
- 凡庸ぼんよう
mediocre; ordinary; commonplace; banal
- 中庸ちゅうよう
middle way; (golden) mean; moderation; middle path
- 付庸ふよう
dependency; vassal state
- 凡庸愚昧ぼんようぐまい
ordinary and ignorant; mediocre and stupid
- 庸人ようじん
common man
- 庸劣ようれつ
mediocre; inferior; commonplace; foolish; stupid
- 庸君ようくん
stupid ruler
- 庸愚ようぐ
mediocrity; imbecility
- 庸才ようさい
mediocre talent
- 租庸調そようちょう
corvee; taxes in kind or service (ritsuryō system)
Study
Etymology
庸 is thought to combine 广 (building) with a component related to use or service, suggesting something employed within a structure. The exact historical development is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
Under a roof 广, the inner part looks like a hand holding a tool 用, doing ordinary, everyday work. That's 庸: commonplace employment.
Reading mnemonic
For ヨウ, imagine a yo-yo used in an ordinary, everyday job: yo-yo -> ヨウ, and the worker spins it under the roof.