邑
village, rural community, right village radical (no. 163)
JLPTN1StatusJinmeiyōFrequencyTop 5,000Strokes7
Readings
On'yomi
- ユウ
Kun'yomi
- むら
Nanori
- お
- おう
- おお
- くに
- さと
Meaning
邑 centers on a settled human community: a village or rural area. The radical sense refers to this same village shape used as a component in other characters, often indicating a place or settlement.
Most common words using 邑
Study
Etymology
邑 is a pictograph of a walled settlement. The upper 口 represents an enclosure or city wall, and the lower 巴 is a stylized kneeling person, together suggesting a populated place.
Meaning mnemonic
The top 口 looks like a wall or boundary, and the bottom 巴 resembles a person sitting. Picture a person settled inside a walled area: that is a village.
Reading mnemonic
For ユウ, imagine a village where everyone greets you with a cheerful 'you!': you -> ユウ, as if the whole community is calling out to you.