羑
guide to goodness
Strokes9
Readings
On'yomi
- ユウ
- ユ
Kun'yomi
- みちび.く
- いざな.う
- すす.める
Meaning
羑 centers on guiding someone toward moral goodness, like leading by example or showing the right path.
Study
Etymology
The exact historical development of 羑 is uncertain. It appears to combine 羊 (sheep) with 久, but the original semantic or phonetic role of these components is not clearly established.
Meaning mnemonic
Picture a shepherd using a sheep (羊) as a guide, leading the flock for a long time (久) toward good pastures. The sheep becomes a symbol of guiding to goodness.
Reading mnemonic
For ユウ, imagine a gentle guide saying 'you' (ユウ) as they lead you toward goodness: 'you' -> ユウ, and you follow the path.