式
Ritual
| on’yomi | kun’yomi | Radicals |
|---|---|---|
| しき | n/a | 弋 + 工 |
Meaning: Ceremony
To construct a whole ceremony, you can’t just make it up on the spot. That is not a ceremony. A ceremony has a past. A ceremony is done a certain way because that’s the way it’s always been done. In short, to build a ceremony, you have to create a ritual first. Then, the ritual can be constructed into a bigger, more lavish ceremony.
Ritual and Ceremony kind of mean the same things, sort of. Don’t worry too much if you mix them up a little – both will help you to remember the other. There’s a reason this kanji is made up of the ceremony radical already!
Reading: しき
So, you’re at a ritual. Think of the most ridiculous ceremony you can think of. Give it a shot – I’ll let you come up with the ridiculousness this time (it’s good practice). When you think of your mnemonic, make sure to imagine it with a Sheikh (an Arabic leader). Have the sheikh do something ridiculous to help you to think of this sheikh (しき) and then remember this on’yomi.
It’s good to practice making your own mnemonics up every once in a while. It’ll help you to add on to the mnemonics already here and make better ones more personal to yourself!
Vocabulary
Only one word to learn, and it uses the on’yomi! Lucky you.
a 式（しき）＝ Ritual / Ceremony
- Meaning: The meaning is the same as the kanji
- Reading: The reading is the on’yomi – oftentimes this will be attached to some other word, like the name of the ritual / ceremony. For example, a けっこん式 is a wedding ceremony.