朱 means “vermilion, scarlet”

しゅ · shu

Also: cinnabar, red

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

あけ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

シュ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 6 strokes

The story

A tree (木) with an extra line across its trunk: the Shuowen reads 朱 as a tree with a red heart. 朱 is vermilion, the red of shrine gates and of the 御朱印 stamps that visitors collect in a book at temples and shrines.

Used in 朱色 (shuiro, vermilion), 朱肉 (shuniku, red ink pad for seals), and 御朱印 (goshuin, temple or shrine seal stamp)

More from Shades & Dyes

• 紺 navy blue
• 藍 indigo
• 斑 spot
• 褐 brown
• 瑠 lapis lazuli
• 璃 lapis lazuli
• 鮮 vivid
• 染 dye
• 彩 color
• 丹 red
• 玄 dark
• 淡 pale

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

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