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JLPT N38画 · 8 strokesradical 商grade 3freq #800

commerce, trade

On'yomi (音読み)

  • ショウ
  • ショ

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • あきな.う

Mnemonic

Imagine a businessman wearing a hat (亠) standing between two rice fields (田), negotiating trade deals that help them flourish.

About this kanji

The kanji 「商」 primarily means commerce or trade. It is commonly used as a noun in various contexts related to business. For example, 「商店」 (しょうてん) means store, referring to a place where goods are sold. Another compound, 「商人」 (しょうにん), translates to merchant, which denotes a person engaged in trade. Additionally, 「商売」 (しょうばい) means business, encompassing all activities related to buying and selling. You will often see this kanji in words that pertain to the economic aspects of daily life. When you encounter it, remember that it generally relates to commercial activities.

Built from

Example sentences

  • 商売を始めました。

    I started a business.

Meanings across languages

English
commerce, trade
Tiếng Việt
thương mại, buôn bán
日本語
商業, 商売
한국어
상업
中文
商业
id
perdagangan
th
การค้า
es
comercio
fr
commerce
de
Handel
pt
comércio

Common compounds

  • 商店しょうてんstore, shop
  • 商人しょうにんmerchant, trader
  • 商売しょうばいbusiness, trade

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