氏
family name, surname, clan
Readings
On'yomi
- シ
Kun'yomi
- うじ
- -うじ
Meaning
氏 centers on the concept of a family lineage or clan identity, from which the ideas of family name and surname naturally follow.
Most common words using 氏
20 of 72- 氏しN2
Mr; Mrs; Ms; Miss
- 彼氏かれしN3
boyfriend
- 氏名しめいN3
(full) name; identity
- 同氏どうし
the said person; he; she
- 源氏物語げんじものがたり
The Tale of Genji (Heian-period classic)
- 氏族しぞく
clan; family
- 両氏りょうし
both persons
- 諸氏しょし
(all of) you or them
- 某氏ぼうし
a certain person; unnamed person; Mr. So-and-so; a certain someone who shall remain unnamed
- カ氏カし
Fahrenheit
- 摂氏せっしN1
Celsius; centigrade
- 杜氏とうじ
chief brewer at a sake brewery
- 氏神うじがみ
patron god; tutelar deity; guardian deity; local deity
- 氏子うじこ
shrine parishioner
- 源氏名げんじな
"professional name" used by hostesses and geisha
- 源氏げんじ
Genji (the character in the Genji Monogatari)
- セ氏セし
Celsius; centigrade
- 氏うじN1
family name; lineage; birth
- ジーキル博士とハイド氏ジーキルはかせとハイドし
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson)
- セ氏温度セしおんど
degrees Celsius
Study
Etymology
氏 is an ancient pictograph of a clan symbol or a curved object used as a marker of family identity. The modern form retains the basic slanted shape.
Meaning mnemonic
The slanted shape of 氏 looks like a stylized family crest or a curved emblem used to mark clan membership. Think of it as a symbol that identifies a family name.
Reading mnemonic
For シ, imagine a family crest shaped like the letter 'C' (シー), representing the clan's initial. The 'C' sound cues シ, and the crest represents the family name.