射 means “shoot, fire, shine on”

しゃ · sha

Also: shine into, onto, archery

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

いる, さす, うつ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

シャ

JLPT N1 · Taught in grade 6 · 10 strokes

The story

A hand (寸) beside 身, which began as a drawn bow and arrow before the shape drifted into body: shooting. 発射 is a launch, 反射 is light shot back, and at the clinic 注射 is a shot of a different kind.

Used in 注射 (chuusha, injection), 発射 (hassha, launch/firing), and 反射 (hansha, reflection/reflex)

More from Arms & the Hunt

• 獲 catch
• 銃 gun
• 甲 armor
• 網 net
• 砲 cannon
• 矢 arrow
• 剣 sword
• 盾 shield
• 矛 spear
• 釣 fish (with a line)
• 狩 hunt
• 弓 bow (archery)

Learn 射 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

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