continent, sandbar, island, country
洲 centers on a landmass surrounded by water: a continent, island, or sandbar. The country sense is a natural extension of a distinct territory.
洲 combines 氵 (water) with 州, which originally depicted sandbars in a river. The addition of water reinforces the idea of a landmass surrounded by water.
Water 氵 surrounds a sandbar 州, forming a larger landmass like an island or continent.
For シュウ, imagine a shoe-shaped continent: shoe -> シュウ, and the water surrounds it like an island.
mid-ocean sandbank
Japan
Japan
Yashima Gakuen University
spit (of land)
Japan
Japan
Honshū (largest of the four main islands of Japan); Honshu
sandbank in a river
sandy beach; sandbar that projects into the ocean, particularly in a wavy form
young striped mullet
stairs at the front of a noh stage, which go over the white gravel separating the audience from the stage