芝
turf, lawn
Readings
On'yomi
- シ
Kun'yomi
- しば
Nanori
- こげ
- しは
Meaning
芝 centers on a managed grassy surface: turf or a lawn, typically a cultivated area of grass.
Most common words using 芝
20 of 66- 東芝とうしば
Toshiba Corporation
- 芝居しばいN3
play; drama
- 芝しばN1
lawn; sod; turf
- 芝生しばふN3
lawn; grass
- 紙芝居かみしばい
kamishibai; storytelling with pictures; form of Japanese street theater and storytelling (popular from the 1930s to the 1950s)
- 人工芝じんこうしば
artificial grass (lawn)
- 芝浦工業大学しばうらこうぎょうだいがく
Shibaura Institute of Technology
- 猿芝居さるしばい
monkey show
- 芝刈りしばかり
lawn mowing
- 芝居小屋しばいごや
playhouse; theatre; theater
- 芝草しばくさ
lawn; sod; turf
- ベント芝ベントしば
bentgrass; bent
- 一人芝居ひとりしばい
one-person show; one-woman show; one-man show; performing solo; monodrama
- 一芝居ひとしばい
trick; act
- 三文芝居さんもんしばい
cheap and low-quality play; performance not worth paying to see
- 人形芝居にんぎょうしばい
puppet show
- 伽芝居とぎしばい
fairy play; pantomime
- 冬芝ふゆしば
lawn grass for cold areas
- 力芝ちからしば
Chinese fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides)
- 地芝居じしばい
community performance (amateur theatricals, etc.)
Study
Etymology
芝 combines 艹 (grass) with 之, which likely contributes a phonetic element. The character originally referred to a type of fragrant grass, later extending to turf or lawn.
Meaning mnemonic
The grass radical 艹 sits on top of 之, like grass spreading over a shaped area: a lawn or turf.
Reading mnemonic
For シ, imagine a sheep grazing on the lawn: sheep -> シ, and the sheep keeps the turf neatly trimmed.