曾
once, before, formerly, ever, never, ex-
Readings
On'yomi
- ソウ
- ソ
- ゾウ
Kun'yomi
- かつ.て
- か.って
- すなわち
Meaning
曾 centers on a past time or prior state: something that happened once, before, or formerly. It can also mark a former role (ex-), and in negative contexts it means never having done something.
Most common words using 曾
- 曾ひい
great (i.e. great-grandson, great-grandmother)
- 未曾有みぞう
unprecedented; unheard-of; record-breaking
- 曾祖母そうそぼ
great-grandmother; great-grandma
- 佐曾羅さそら
incense variety used in kōdō (orig. from India)
- 曾おじいさんひいおじいさん
great-grandfather
- 曾おばあさんひいおばあさん
great-grandmother
- 曾我派そがは
Soga school of Japanese painting
- 曾遊そうゆう
former visit
Study
Etymology
The historical origin of 曾 is uncertain. It may have originally depicted a steaming vessel or a layered structure, but the modern form does not clearly reflect a single pictographic source. The character is used for its sound and abstract temporal meanings.
Meaning mnemonic
The top 丷 looks like two marks of the past, and the lower part resembles a boxed container of memories. Picture opening a box labeled 'once' and finding old photos inside: 曾 means once, before, or formerly.
Reading mnemonic
For ソウ, imagine a soul (ソウ) remembering a past life: the soul once lived before, and ソウ cues the reading.