elephant, pattern after, imitate, image

About this kanji

The kanji 「象」 primarily means "elephant," but it can also refer to concepts like "image," "shape," or to "imitate." It is commonly used as a noun, for instance in compounds like "印象" (いんしょう), meaning "impression," and "気象" (きしょう), which means "weather." Another example is "現象" (げんしょう), meaning "phenomenon." An important note is that this kanji can also suggest representation or symbolization, seen in the word "象徴" (しょうちょう), meaning a symbol of something more abstract. Overall, it has both literal and figurative uses in the language.

Example sentences

• 彼女は象を見たことがある。

  She has seen an elephant before.

Meanings across languages

English

elephant, pattern after, imitate, image, shape, sign (of the times)

Tiếng Việt

voi, mô phỏng, bắt chước, hình ảnh, hình dạng, dấu hiệu

日本語

象, 模倣する, 模倣する, 形, 形, 時代の兆し

한국어

코끼리, 패턴, 모방하다, 이미지, 형태, 징후

中文

大象, 模仿, 模仿, 图像, 形状, 时代的迹象

id

gajah, meniru, gambar, bentuk, tanda

th

ช้าง, เลียนแบบ, ภาพ, รูปแบบ, สัญลักษณ์

es

elefante, imitar, imagen, forma, signo

fr

éléphant, imiter, image, forme, signe

de

Elefant, nachahmen, Abbildung, Bild, Gestalt, Zeichen

pt

elefante, imitar, imagem, forma, sinal

Common compounds

• 印象いんしょうimpression
• 気象きしょうweather (conditions), disposition, temperament
• 現象げんしょうphenomenon
• 象徴しょうちょうsymbol (of something abstract), emblem, (symbolic) representation
• 対象たいしょうtarget, object (of worship, study, etc.), subject (of taxation, etc.)
• 気象庁きしょうちょう(Japanese) Meteorological Agency, JMA
• 具象ぐしょうconcreteness, embodiment, expressing concretely
• 事象じしょうevent, phenomenon, matter

Words using this kanji