祭 means “festival, rite”

まつり · matsuri

Also: ritual, offer prayers, celebrate, deify

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): まつる, まつり
On'yomi (Chinese reading): サイ

JLPT N2 · Taught in grade 3 · 11 strokes

The story

A hand (又) laying meat (肉, squeezed into the top corner) on an altar (示): an offering to the gods, the root of every 祭り. Summer brings 夏祭り, with yukata, food stalls and portable shrines carried through the streets.

Used in 祭り (matsuri, festival), 夏祭り (natsumatsuri, summer festival), and 文化祭 (bunkasai, school culture festival)

祭 means “festival, rite”

The story

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