城

Glyph origin
.

Etymology
Cognate with, , , as was made of filled-in or stamped earth. See for more.

Definitions

 * 1) city wall
 * 2) area within the city walls
 * 3) city; town
 * 4) large commercial venue
 * 5)  to construct city walls
 * 1) city; town
 * 2) large commercial venue
 * 3)  to construct city walls
 * 1) large commercial venue
 * 2)  to construct city walls
 * 1)  to construct city walls
 * 1)  to construct city walls

Descendants
Others:

Compounds

 * : a battering ram

Etymology 1


Derivation unknown. The shiro reading for this character appears in 794 when the  region was renamed, by , thus applying the shiro reading to the 城 kanji for the first time.

Noun

 * 1) castle

Usage notes
The shiro reading may be used most often when this term appears as a standalone noun.

Etymology 2
Borrowed from older (Modern 🇨🇬). The final ku may be cognate with mainland Japanese ki (see below).

The initial gu may be cognate with, but it is problematic in that the only honorary prefixes found in Omoro Sōshi are and. Suku may be related to or cognate with. While written with the kanji for "castle", textual and cultural evidence suggests that the initial primary meaning was a holy place.

Noun

 * 1)  castle

Usage notes
Not used in isolation in modern Japanese. This term remains as an element in various place names.

Etymology 3
ki2: >

From, from.

Noun

 * 1)  a structure surrounded by a moat or walls: a fortress, castle
 * 2) * 787-824: Nihon Ryōiki (preface, page 201)
 * 1) * 787-824: Nihon Ryōiki (preface, page 201)

Etymology 4
Originally a compound of.

Noun

 * 1)  a castle, a fortress

Etymology 5
→ * →

From. Compare modern 🇨🇬 reading siâⁿ.

Noun

 * 1) a castle, a fortress

Etymology
From.

Noun

 * 1) a gusuku (Ryukyuan castle)
 * 2) * 1531-1623: Omoro Sōshi
 * 3) a word used in placenames
 * 1) a word used in placenames