掌 means “palm, hold in hand”

しょう · shou

Also: palm of hand, rule, administer, conduct

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

てのひら, たなごころ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ショウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 12 strokes

The story

A hand (手) under a top like 尚: the hand opened, palm up. 合掌 is palms pressed together in prayer, Shirakawa-go's 合掌造り farmhouses have roofs as steep as praying hands, and a 車掌 is the conductor who has the train in hand.

Used in 合掌 (gasshou, palms together in prayer), 車掌 (shashou, train conductor), and 掌握 (shouaku, firm control)

More from Head to Toe

• 脇 armpit
• 舌 tongue
• 胴 torso
• 拳 fist
• 唇 lips
• 爪 nail
• 瞳 pupil (of the eye)
• 眉 eyebrow
• 股 crotch
• 肢 limb
• 膝 knee
• 喉 throat

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