荘 means “villa, lodge, solemn”

そう · sou

Also: inn, cottage, feudal manor

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): ほうき, おごそか
On'yomi (Chinese reading): ソウ, ショウ, チャン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 9 strokes

The story

Grass (艹) over sturdy (壮): a solid house out in the green. 荘 is a country retreat, as in 別荘, a vacation home, but it also names plain wooden apartments, like Tokyo's トキワ荘, where Osamu Tezuka and other young manga artists lived.

Used in 別荘 (bessou, vacation home), 山荘 (sansou, mountain lodge), and 荘厳 (sougon, solemn/majestic)

荘 means “villa, lodge, solemn”

The story

More from Towns & Towers