娀

name of a concubine of Di Ku, father of the mythical Yao

Strokes9

Readings

On'yomi

シュウ
シュ

Kun'yomi

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Meaning

娀 is a rare proper name from Chinese legend, referring to a concubine of the mythical emperor Di Ku and mother of Yao. It has no common standalone meaning in modern Japanese.

Study

Etymology

娀 combines 女 (woman) with 戎, which likely acts as a phonetic component. The exact historical development is uncertain, and the character is primarily known from ancient Chinese texts.

Meaning mnemonic

A woman 女 associated with the sound 戎: remember this as the name of a legendary concubine.

Reading mnemonic

For シュウ, imagine the concubine 娀 bowing politely: 'shoo' (シュウ) as she greets the emperor.