祛
expel, disperse, exorcise
Strokes9
Readings
On'yomi
- キョ
- コ
Kun'yomi
- はら.う
Meaning
祛 centers on driving something unwanted away: expelling, dispersing, or exorcising negative forces or influences.
Study
Etymology
祛 combines 示 (altar, spirit) with 去 (to go away), suggesting a ritual act of driving away spirits or impurities.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 示 relates to spiritual matters, and the right side 去 means to go away. Picture a ritual where a priest waves a wand to make evil spirits go away: expelling and exorcising.
Reading mnemonic
For キョ, imagine a Kyoto exorcist chanting 'kyo, kyo, kyo' as they expel a ghost: Kyoto -> キョ, and the chant drives the spirit away.