申

shēn
#1,108 most
frequent character
to extend, to state, to explain

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

申 is a picture of a lightning bolt, so its first meaning was 'lightning.' From there it grew to 'extend' and 'to explain.' The 'ninth Earthly Branch' sense was borrowed for its sound, and the 3–5 PM double hour came from that.

Drawn as: lightning bolt

申 as a component in other characters

meaning1 character
畅
sound8 characters
神审伸绅呻砷抻胂
empty1 character
坤

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Same Characters, Different Readings

申Shen1
old name for Shanghai 上海[Shang4hai3]

Homophones

HSK 5
伸shēn
to stretch, to extend
参shēn
ginseng, one of the 28 constellations
身shēn
body, life, oneself, personally

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