Skip to content
Kotomora

敷

spread, pave, sit, promulgate

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes15

Readings

On'yomi

  • フ

Kun'yomi

  • し.く
  • -し.き

Nanori

  • しき
  • にゅう

Meaning

敷 centers on laying something out flat and wide: spreading a cloth, paving a surface, or sitting down by spreading oneself. The promulgate sense extends this to spreading ideas or decrees widely.

Most common words using 敷

20 of 120
  • 屋敷やしき
    N1

    residence; estate; grounds; premises; mansion

  • 敷地しきち
    N2

    site; plot; lot; grounds

  • 敷くしく
    N3

    to spread out (e.g. a futon); to lay out

  • 倉敷くらしき

    Kurashiki (city)

  • 敷居しきい
    N1

    threshold (esp. one with grooves for sliding doors); sill

  • 敷きしき

    spreading; laying out; covering

  • 敷きじき

    suffix indicating room size (following a number of tatami mats and a counter)

  • 下敷きしたじき
    N1

    desk pad; sheet of plastic (or cardboard, felt, etc.) placed under writing paper; underlay

  • 座敷ざしき
    N2

    tatami room; tatami mat room; formal Japanese room

  • 河川敷かせんじき

    flood plain; river terrace; riverside area; area between river and river bank

  • 敷設ふせつ

    laying (a railroad, pipes, naval mines, etc.); construction

  • 風呂敷ふろしき
    N2

    furoshiki; wrapping cloth; cloth wrapper

  • お座敷おざしき

    tatami room

  • 敷き物しきもの

    carpet; rug; matting; carpeting

  • 敷金しききん
    N2

    (security) deposit; caution money

  • 敷島しきしま

    Yamato (province)

  • 花屋敷はなやしき

    public flower garden

  • 桟敷さじき

    dress circle (of a theatre); (first) balcony; box

  • 敷き布団しきぶとん
    N1

    futon (laid on the floor); (Japanese) mattress; underquilt; sleeping mat

  • 敷石しきいし

    paving stone; pavement

Explore all words using 敷 →

Study

Etymology

敷 combines 旉 (spread out, arrange) with 攵 (hand action), reinforcing the idea of spreading or laying out by hand. The exact historical development of 旉 is uncertain, but the compound meaning is well established.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side 旉 looks like a cloth being spread out over a field 田 with a hand 攵 on the right smoothing it flat. Picture laying a picnic blanket: you spread it, pave the ground, and then sit.

Reading mnemonic

For フ, imagine spreading a huge futon (ふとん) on the floor: the first syllable フ of ふとん cues the reading while you lay it out flat.