noun, noun, used as a suffix
shape; form; appearance; -shaped
Often used as the suffix 〜状 to mean that something has a particular shape, form, or appearance, as in 帯状, 環状, 粒状, or ゼリー状.
See also: 帯状
雲が空に帯状に広がっていた。
Clouds were spread across the sky in a band-like shape.
薬は白い粉状に
The medicine is in the form of a white powder.
noun, noun, used as a suffix
state; condition; circumstances
Used mostly in compounds or suffix-like formations to describe a state or condition, such as 病状, 液状, or 現状. Standalone 状 in this sense is comparatively formal or limited.
医師は父の病状を詳しく説明した。
The doctor explained my father's condition in detail.
チョコレートは暑さで液状になった。
The chocolate became liquid in the heat.
noun, noun, used as a suffix
letter; written notice; correspondence
Common as a suffix in words for written communications, such as 招待状, 案内状, 礼状, and 賞状. As a standalone noun meaning 'letter,' it sounds more formal or old-fashioned than 手紙.
See also: 招待状
結婚式の招待状が届いた。
An invitation to the wedding arrived.
お世話になった先生に礼状を書いた。
I wrote a thank-you letter to the teacher who had helped me.
A regular standalone noun meaning 'state' or 'condition'; more natural than 状 when talking generally about how something is.
A native Japanese word for physical shape or form; 状 is more often a Sino-Japanese suffix in compounds such as 帯状 or 環状.
The ordinary everyday word for a letter; 状 is formal or compound-like and appears in words such as 招待状 and 礼状.
Sino-Japanese reading じょう of the kanji 状. The spelling is conventionally associated with shape, condition, and written documents; no more specific historical derivation is asserted here.