執 means “grasp, carry out”

しつ · shitsu

Also: tenacious, take hold, take to heart

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

とる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

シツ, シュウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 11 strokes

The story

The left half looks like 幸, luck, but the traditional account reads it as handcuffs, and 執 once meant seizing a criminal. It still means gripping hard: 執筆 is taking up the pen, 執行 carrying out a duty or sentence, and 執着 clinging on.

Used in 執筆 (shippitsu, writing), 執行 (shikkou, execution/carrying out), and 執着 (shuuchaku, attachment/obsession)

More from Plans & Leadership

• 措 measure
• 揮 wield
• 操 operate
• 託 entrust
• 宰 preside
• 轄 control
• 摂 take in
• 吏 official
• 統 unify
• 案 plan
• 策 policy
• 提 propose

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