羞
feel ashamed
Readings
On'yomi
- シュウ
Kun'yomi
- はじ.る
- すすめ.る
- は.ずかしい
Meaning
羞 centers on the feeling of shame or embarrassment, often from a sense of personal shortcoming or exposure.
Most common words using 羞
- 羞恥しゅうち
shyness; bashfulness; shame
- 羞恥心しゅうちしん
shyness; shame
- 共感性羞恥きょうかんせいしゅうち
secondhand embarrassment; vicarious embarrassment; third-party embarrassment
- 含羞がんしゅう
shyness
- 含羞草おじぎそう
mimosa (Mimosa pudica); sensitive plant; touch-me-not
- 嬌羞きょうしゅう
charming and coy
- 沈魚落雁閉月羞花ちんぎょらくがんへいげつしゅうか
charms of a uniquely beautiful woman; (so beautiful that) fish stay on the bottom of water and flying wild geese fall from the sky in shame
- 羞恥プレイしゅうちプレイ
erotic humiliation; sexual humiliation; deliberate provocation of shame or embarrassment for erotic pleasure
- 羞悪しゅうお
shame and hatred of evil
- 羞明しゅうめい
photophobia
- 羞月閉花しゅうげつへいか
the charms of a uniquely beautiful woman; (so beautiful that) the moon is abashed and flowers wilt
- 羞花閉月しゅうかへいげつ
the charms of a uniquely beautiful woman; (so beautiful that) flowers are abashed and the moon hides
- 閉月羞花へいげつしゅうか
charms of a uniquely beautiful woman; great beauty; (so beautiful that) the moon hides and flowers are abashed
Study
Etymology
羞 combines ⺶ (a variant of 羊, sheep) with 丑, which likely contributes the sound. The idea of shame may derive from offering a sheep as a ritual gift, with the associated feeling of humility or embarrassment.
Meaning mnemonic
The top ⺶ looks like a sheep with horns, and the inside 丑 resembles a hand offering something. Imagine offering a sheep as a gift but feeling ashamed because it's not good enough.
Reading mnemonic
For シュウ, picture a shy sheep: the 'sh' in shy and the 'ewe' sound combine to cue シュウ, while the sheep's embarrassed expression matches the meaning of shame.