礎 means “cornerstone, foundation”

そ · so

Also: foundation stone

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

いしずえ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ソ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 18 strokes

The story

A stone (石) beside 楚, a thicket (林) over a foot (疋): picture the flat stone set under a temple pillar. 礎 is a cornerstone: 基礎 is the foundation of anything, a house or your Japanese, and 礎石 still mark where vanished temples once stood.

Used in 基礎 (kiso, foundation/basics), 礎石 (soseki, foundation stone), and 礎 (ishizue, cornerstone)

More from Roots & Foundations

• 軸 axis
• 概 outline
• 枢 pivot
• 芯 core
• 基 foundation
• 幹 trunk
• 源 source
• 拠 basis
• 盤 board

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