属 means “belong, genus”

ぞく · zoku

Also: subordinate official, affiliated

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

さかん, つく, やから

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ゾク, ショク

JLPT N1 · Taught in grade 5 · 12 strokes

The story

The old form 屬 sets 蜀 under a shortened tail (尾), and the oldest dictionary glosses it as joined on: attached the way a tail belongs to its body. 所属 is the team or office you belong to, 金属 the family of metals, and 付属 attached.

Used in 所属 (shozoku, affiliation), 金属 (kinzoku, metal), and 属する (zokusuru, to belong to)

More from Apart & Together

• 併 combine
• 兼 double as
• 孤 solitary
• 唯 only
• 遇 meet
• 隔 separate
• 随 follow along
• 添 add
• 疎 sparse
• 媒 medium
• 寡 few
• 附 attach

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.