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楚
🇹🇼🇭🇰🇨🇳🇯🇵🇰🇷

clear

HSK 2
Abstract →Qualities
chu
ソ、ショ
いばら、しもと、すわえ
초
Phonosemantic compound. 林 represents the meaning and 疋 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "bush". The meaning later shifted to "distinct" and "clear".
Components
林 woods+ 疋 roll-of-cloth =
楚 clear
林 Meaning component
lín woods
forest, grove
疋 Phonetic component
pǐ roll-of-cloth
roll, bolt of cloth
View phonetic series →
Notes
Similar Characters
啉 slow婪 covet彬 well-mannered淋 drench琳 gem痲 numbness (hemp)禁 prohibit郴 county in Hunan province霖 long spell of rain梦 visionary (simp)梵 Buddhist棼 beams in the潸 tears焚 burn麓 foot of hill棥 a railing鬱 depressed (trad/jp)爨 oven疏 sparse旋 whirl
Historical Evolution
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle
(~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle
(~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Bronze
Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
Bronze
Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
Bronze Early Warring States (~400 BC)
Bronze
Early Warring States (~400 BC)
Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)
Bronze
Late Warring States (~250 BC)
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal
Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal
Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical
Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical
Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical
Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical
Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)
Clerical
Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)
楚
Regular
Modern
Chinese
楚 [Chǔ]
surname Chu; abbr. for Hubei 湖北省[Hú​běi​Shěng] and Hunan 湖南省[Hú​nán​Shěng] provinces together; Chinese kingdom during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods (722-221 BC)
楚 [chǔ]
distinct; clear; orderly; pain; suffering; deciduous bush used in Chinese medicine (genus Vitex); punishment cane (old)
Japanese
楚 、 楉 、 杪 すわえ 、 ずわえ 、 すわい 、 ずわい 同音

noun

  1. archaic switch (long, slender shoot of a tree)
  2. archaic switch (cane used for flogging)
Example Sentences
Japanese Names
楚 そ
So surname
楚 ちゆ、そ
Chu (name of several ancient Chinese states), Ch'u place name
CHINESE WORDS (72)
清楚 [qīng​chu] #367
clear
宋楚瑜 [Sòng​Chǔ​yú] #12,304
James Soong (1942-), Taiwanese politician expelled from Guomindang in 2000 when he founded People First Party 親民黨|亲民党
痛楚 [tòng​chǔ] #11,850
pain
一清二楚 [yī​qīng​'èr​chǔ] #9,283
to be very clear about sth (idiom)
楚国 [Chǔ​guó] #23,693
the state of Chu, one of the most important of the small states contending for power in China between 770 and 223 BC, located around present-day Hubei
楚国 [Chǔ​guó] #23,693
the state of Chu, one of the most important of the small states contending for power in China between 770 and 223 BC, located around present-day Hubei
苦楚 [kǔ​chǔ] #26,125
suffering
酸楚 [suān​chǔ] #67,124
disconsolate
衣冠楚楚 [yī​guān​chǔ​chǔ] #21,546
immaculately dressed
楚辞 [Chǔ​cí] #36,509
Chu Ci, the Songs of Chu (ancient book of poems, collected during Han but esp. from country of Chu c. 500 BC)
62 more items
JAPANESE WORDS (10)
鞭 [むち] #5,610
whip
清楚 [せいそ] #10,769
neat and clean
梢 [こずえ] #15,276
treetop
楚々 [そそ] #31,637
graceful
四面楚歌 [しめんそか] #45,925
being surrounded by enemies on all sides
清楚系ビッチ [せいそけいビッチ] #161,405
neat and tidy woman who is (unexpectedly) promiscuous
ずわい蟹 [ずわいがに] #229,967
snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio)
葼 [しもと]
slender shoot
清楚ギャル [せいそギャル]
polished gyaru
金楚糕 [ちんすこう]
chinsuko
KOREAN WORDS (2)
고초
hardship
사면초가
enemies on all sides; being beleaguered; no way out; being stuck