神田 (shén tián) — Kanda (a district in Tokyo, Japan)

Definition

noun
Kanda (a district in Tokyo, Japan)

Examples

  • 神田。
    shén tián Shì yí gè hěn yǒu lì shǐ de dì fāng.
    Kanda is a place with a lot of history.
  • 神田。
    Wǒ cóng lái méi qù guò shén tián.
    I have never been to Kanda.
  • 神田。
    shén tián De jiù shū diàn hěn yǒu míng.
    Kanda's old bookstores are very famous.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
示示shìgod; deity
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn神shén
Same sound today

The older form 申 drew lightning, which the ancients regarded as divine; 神 adds 示 (god/deity) to mark that meaning.

Open 神 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

田 looks like a field divided into four sections.

Open 田 →

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