占
KanjiJLPT N2
Occupy / Divination
fortune-telling, divining, forecasting, occupy, hold, have, get, take
Mnemonic
A ballerina leaps to center stage, throws open her mouth, and bellows: "I occupy this floor!" She spins across every inch, mouth still roaring her claim. Other dancers freeze—no one dares challenge a ballerina whose mouth alone can occupy an entire theater.
Additional thoughts
Visualize the ballerina's mouth gaping impossibly wide as she twirls, her voice physically pushing rivals offstage. The mouth is the weapon; the dance is the territorial claim. Mouth on bottom, ballerina on top—just like the kanji.Quick recall
A ballerina roars through her mouth to occupy the whole stage.Details
The keyword for 占 is occupy / divination. This kanji carries two closely related yet distinct meanings. In the sense of divination, it refers to the ancient practice of fortune-telling or foretelling the future, as practiced by oracles and soothsayers. In the sense of occupy, it means to take possession of or hold a place exclusively, as in claiming a space or monopolizing something for oneself — a meaning that may have evolved from the idea of a diviner staking a claim on knowledge of the future.
- On'yomi
- せん
- Kun'yomi
- し.める、うらな.う