懺
regret, repent, confess sins
Readings
On'yomi
- ザン
- サン
Kun'yomi
- くい.る
Meaning
懺 centers on deep remorse and the act of acknowledging wrongdoing: regretting past actions, repenting, and confessing sins.
Most common words using 懺
- 懺悔ざんげ
repentance; confession; penitence
- 一億総懺悔いちおくそうざんげ
national confession of Japanese war guilt (1945)
- 懺悔室ざんげしつ
(a) confessional
- 懺悔録ざんげろく
Confessiones (St. Augustine of Hippo)
- 懺法せんぼう
penitence by chanting sutras; confession (of sins); Tendai ritual of chanting Lotus Sutra or to Kanzeon, Amida, or Kichijoten for forgiveness of sins performed unknowingly
Study
Etymology
懺 combines 忄 (heart/mind) with 韱, which likely contributes the sound and may relate to cutting or piercing, suggesting a heart pierced by remorse. The exact historical development of 韱 is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
The heart radical 忄 beside the complex 韱 suggests a heart tangled in sharp, piercing regret. Picture a heart being pricked by many small needles of guilt, leading to confession.
Reading mnemonic
For ザン, imagine a person named Zan kneeling in a confessional, full of regret: Zan -> ザン, and his heart is heavy with remorse.