獸
beast, animal, bestial
StatusJinmeiyō (variant)Strokes19
Readings
On'yomi
- ジュウ
Kun'yomi
- けもの
- けだもの
Meaning
獸 centers on wild, untamed creatures: beasts and animals, with a sense of brutish or bestial nature.
Most common words using 獸
- 双蹄獸そうていじゅう
cloven-hoofed animal
Study
Etymology
獸 combines 嘼 (a pictograph of a hunting dog or beast) with 犬 (dog), reinforcing the idea of a wild animal. The modern simplified form is 獣.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 嘼 looks like a fierce creature with a mouth full of teeth, and the right side 犬 is a dog. Together they form a wild beast.
Reading mnemonic
For ジュウ, imagine a beast in a zoo: zoo -> ジュウ, and the beast roars inside its enclosure.