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Kotomora

芝

turf, lawn

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes6

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.)

Explore all words using 芝 →

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.