衆 means “crowd, the masses”
しゅう · shuu
Also: masses, great numbers, multitude, populace
- Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)
- おおい
- On'yomi (Chinese reading)
- シュウ, シュ
JLPT N1 · Taught in grade 6 · 12 strokes
The story
Three people (人) packed tight under 血, blood: picture a sweating crowd shoulder to shoulder. 衆 is the many: 公衆トイレ is a public toilet, 観衆 the spectators, and 衆議院 is the House of Representatives, the Diet's lower house.
Used in 衆議院 (shuugiin, House of Representatives), 公衆 (koushuu, the public), and 観衆 (kanshuu, spectators)
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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.