The 'Meditating Shih Tzu' (至) Family: 至 (Attain), 室 (Room) & 屋 (Roof / Shop)
Why is 至 inside both 室 (Room) and 屋 (Roof/Shop)? Learn the Meditating Shih Tzu visual radical family with Shibashi's custom flashcards.
Look at the bottom half of 室 (しつ — Room) and 屋 (おく / や — Roof / Shop): both contain the exact same kanji — 至 (し / いたる — Attain / Reach)! Once you learn 至, you get three JLPT kanjis for the price of one.
Quick Comparison: 至 (Attain) vs. 室 (Room) vs. 屋 (Roof)
In Shibashi's Meditating Room family, 至 is drawn as a little Shih Tzu meditating on a mat:
| Kanji & Meaning | Primary Readings (Bold = Primary) | Shibashi Visual Mnemonic Hook | Common Compound Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| 至 — Attain | On: し Kun: いた |
Little _shi_tzu (し) meditating on a mat = Attain (いたる) | 至る (いたる) — to arrive at; to reach (a... |
| 室 — Room | On: しつ Kun: — |
House roof (宀) over 至 = indoor Room (しつ in 教室) | 研究室 (けんきゅうしつ) — laboratory |
| 屋 — Roof | On: おく Kun: や |
Flag awning (尸) over 至 = Roof / Shop (や / おく in 部屋) | 屋上 (おくじょう) — rooftop |
Illustrated Kanji Flashcards(Tap Readings for Audio)
In 至 (し / いたる — Attain), the little _shi_tzu (し) meditates to *attain* nirvana in _Ita_ly (いた) (as in 冬至 winter solstice). Put a house roof (宀) over the meditating Shih Tzu and he is meditating inside an indoor 室 (しつ / むろ — Room) (as in 教室 classroom). Put a slanted flag/corpse awning (尸) over 至 and you get a shop 屋 (おく / や — Roof / Shop) (as in 部屋 room and 本屋 bookstore)!
Essential Japanese Vocabulary Words Using 至 / 室 / 屋
Once you can recognize 至 (Attain) and 室 (Room) and 屋 (Roof) individually, lock them into your active reading vocabulary with these high-frequency Japanese words from the Shibashi app:
| Japanese Word | Hiragana Reading | English Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 至る | いたる | to arrive at; to reach (a stage); to attain | JLPT |
| 至急 | しきゅう | urgent; pressing; immediate | JLPT |
| 至る所 | いたるところ | everywhere; all over; throughout | JLPT |
| 研究室 | けんきゅうしつ | laboratory | JLPT |
| 屋上 | おくじょう | rooftop | JLPT |
5-Second Memory Summary: How to Never Mix Up 至 & 室 & 屋 Again
至 alone = Attain • 宀 roof + 至 = 室 (Room) • 尸 awning + 至 = 屋 (Shop / Roof).
