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Kotomora

榊

sacred Shinto tree, (kokuji)

StatusJinmeiyōFrequencyTop 5,000Strokes13

Readings

On'yomi

—

Kun'yomi

  • さかき

Meaning

榊 refers specifically to the sakaki tree, an evergreen sacred in Shinto ritual. It is a kokuji created in Japan for this culturally important tree.

Most common words using 榊

  • 榊さかき

    sakaki (species of evergreen sacred to Shinto, Cleyera japonica)

  • 真榊まさかき

    evergreen (esp. one planted or used at a shrine)

Explore all words using 榊 →

Study

Etymology

榊 is a Japanese kokuji, combining 木 (tree) with 神 (god, spirit) to denote the sacred sakaki tree used in Shinto offerings.

Meaning mnemonic

A tree 木 that is associated with the gods 神: the sakaki tree is the sacred tree of Shinto.

Reading mnemonic

For さかき, imagine a sacred tree that prospers (sakaeru 栄える) and is pure (kiyoi 清い): saka-ki -> さかき.