noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
mourning; bereavement
Refers to the state of mourning a death, or the period of mourning. Often used in compounds like 喪中 (period of mourning) or 喪服 (mourning dress).
彼は喪に服している。
He is in mourning.
喪中なので新年の挨
Only with reading も
Archaic noun meaning calamity or misfortune, restricted to the reading も. Not used in modern Japanese outside of historical or literary contexts.
The year-long period of mourning has come to an end.
Because I am in mourning, I will refrain from New Year's greetings.
In classical language, 喪 can be used to mean calamity.
隣の家は先月喪を出した。
The house next door had a death in the family last month.
弔事 refers to a funeral-related event or occasion, whereas 喪 refers to the ongoing state or period of mourning itself.
葬式 is the funeral ceremony itself, while 喪 is the broader period or condition of mourning that follows it.
忌 and 喪 both mean the period of mourning after a death, but 喪 is the more common everyday word (as in 喪中, 喪服) while 忌 sounds more formal or religious and is also used as a suffix for death anniversaries (一周忌).
慶事 is a happy, celebratory occasion, the traditional opposite of 喪, the state of mourning.
藻 (seaweed/algae) is pronounced identically to 喪 (mourning) but has a completely unrelated meaning, so context alone distinguishes them.
mourning clothes; mourning attire
in mourning
chief mourner
unpopular woman; woman unattractive to men
unpopular man; man who isn't well-liked by women
Standard kanji spelling for mourning and bereavement contexts.
The kanji 喪 originally depicted a person mourning with a mulberry tree, symbolizing loss. The reading も is the native Japanese term for mourning, while そう is the Sino-Japanese reading used in compounds.