宝 means “treasure”
たから · takara
Also: wealth, valuables
- Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)
- たから
- On'yomi (Chinese reading)
- ホウ
Taught in grade 6 · 8 strokes
The story
Under a roof (宀), jade (玉) rests: treasure kept safe within the home. Japan's imperial treasures (三種の神器, sanshu no jingi) are so sacred they've never been publicly displayed. The island of 宝島 (Takarajima, Treasure Island) in Kagoshima is real, named for legends of pirate gold.
Used in 宝石 (houseki, gemstone), 宝物 (takaramono, treasure), and 国宝 (kokuhou, national treasure)
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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.