戎
warrior, arms, barbarian, Ainu
Readings
On'yomi
- ジュウ
Kun'yomi
- えびす
- つわもの
Nanori
- えび
Meaning
戎 centers on armed force and the people who wield it: warriors, weapons, and by extension, the non-sedentary peoples historically seen as martial outsiders.
Most common words using 戎
- 十日戎とおかえびす
Tōka Ebisu; festival held on January 10 in honor of Ebisu, the god of fishing and commerce
- 夷蛮戎狄いばんじゅうてき
the barbarians beyond the borders of old China
- 戎さんえべっさん
Ebisu; god of fishing and commerce
- 戎克ジャンク
junk (Chinese ship)
- 戎器じゅうき
weapons of war; arms
- 戎葵じゅうき
hollyhock
- 戎馬じゅうば
warhorse
- 東夷西戎とういせいじゅう
barbarians to the east and to the west (from the perspective of old China)
- 犬戎けんじゅう
Quanrong (ethnic group from northwest of China during the Zhou dynasty)
- 翁戎貝おきなえびすがい
Beyrich's slit shell (species of sea snail, Pleurotomaria beyrichii)
- 西戎せいじゅう
Xirong; Rong; inhabitants of the extremities of China as early as the Shang dynasty (1765-1122 BCE); barbarians to the west
Study
Etymology
戎 combines 戈 (a halberd-like weapon) with 十, which may represent armor or a shield. Together they suggest a fully armed warrior.
Meaning mnemonic
A weapon 戈 is held by a warrior whose body is protected by the cross-shaped armor 十. This armed figure is 戎: a warrior, ready for battle.
Reading mnemonic
For ジュウ, picture a warrior putting on his armor and saying 'Jew!' as he admires his shiny gear: Jew -> ジュウ, and he's ready to fight.