Meaning
挙 means raising or lifting something upward. From that physical core, the meaning extends outward — nominating a candidate, citing an example, performing a formal ceremony, or describing a group taking collective action. This character is the shinjitai (modern simplified form) of the classical character 擧, which appeared in pre-war Japanese texts and remains the standard form in traditional Chinese.
Structurally, 挙 is built from two components. The lower portion is the radical 手 (te, hand), anchoring the character in the physical act of grasping and moving. The upper portion derives from 与 (yo), which conveys giving or extending something toward another person. Together they evoke the gesture of raising a hand to present, offer, or elevate something — a physical object, a candidate for office, a piece of evidence, or the opening act of a ceremony.
In modern Japanese, 挙 appears most often in compounds tied to democratic processes (elections: 選挙), social ceremonies (weddings: 挙式), law enforcement (arrests: 検挙), and formal enumeration (listing: 列挙). At 10 strokes and classified as Grade 4 in the Japanese elementary curriculum, it reflects how deeply elections and formal ceremonies are embedded in Japanese civic culture.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The primary on'yomi is キョ (KYO), used in the vast majority of modern compounds. It dominates formal, political, legal, and ceremonial vocabulary — the reading you will encounter most in newspapers, official documents, and everyday speech.
選挙 (senkyo) — election, voting; the single most important word using 挙 in Japanese society, heard constantly during national and local election seasons.
挙式 (kyoshiki) — holding a formal ceremony, especially a wedding; used when a couple officially performs their marriage rite.
挙手 (kyoshu) — raising one's hand; the standard expression in classrooms, meetings, and assembly votes when participants signal agreement by a show of hands.
A secondary on'yomi, コ (KO), survives only in classical or fixed literary expressions and is rarely encountered in contemporary Japanese.
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi readings are あ・げる (a-geru) and あ・がる (a-garu). The dot (・) marks where the kanji ends and the okurigana begins.
挙げる (ageru) — to raise, to lift up, to perform a ceremony, to cite an example, to put forward a name. Distinguish it from 上げる, which is more general — 挙げる implies a deliberate, formal, or socially meaningful act of raising.
挙がる (agaru) — to rise, to be raised, to be performed (said of a ceremony). The intransitive counterpart: something goes up on its own or as a natural result, without an external agent driving it upward.
Common Words & Compounds
挙 turns up across politics, law, ceremony, and rhetoric. Here are the key compounds grouped by domain.
Politics & Civic Life
- 選挙 (senkyo) — election; the act of selecting a representative through voting; the most frequently seen 挙 compound in daily life
- 挙国 (kyokoku) — the whole nation acting together; seen in set phrases like 挙国一致 (kyokoku icchi), meaning national unity or all-hands-on-deck solidarity
- 挙党 (kyotou) — the whole party acting in unison; used in political reporting about party-wide decisions
Law & Order
- 検挙 (kenkyo) — arrest, apprehension; used by police and in news media when a suspect is taken into custody
- 挙証 (kyoshou) — presenting proof, submitting evidence; a legal term used in court proceedings
Ceremony & Formal Events
- 挙式 (kyoshiki) — holding a ceremony, especially a wedding; a formal expression used in announcements and invitations
- 挙行 (kyokou) — conducting or holding a formal event or ceremony; slightly more formal and broader than 挙式
Listing & Citation
- 列挙 (rekkyo) — enumeration, listing in sequence; frequently used in academic essays and formal reports
- 枚挙 (maikyo) — counting up, enumerating one by one; mostly appears in the set phrase 枚挙にいとまがない (maikyo ni itoma ga nai), meaning "too numerous to count"
Actions & Set Expressions
- 一挙 (ikkyo) — one action, at one stroke, all at once; appears in 一挙両得 (ikkyo ryoutoku), the equivalent of "killing two birds with one stone"
- 挙動 (kyodou) — behavior, conduct, movement; often seen in 挙動不審 (kyodou fushin), meaning suspicious behavior
- 大挙 (taikyo) — en masse, in large numbers; describes a group acting collectively all at once
- 一挙一動 (ikkyo ichidou) — every single movement and action; a set phrase meaning to watch someone's every move
Example Sentences
来月、市長選挙が行われます。
Raigetsu, shichou senkyo ga okonawaremasu.
The mayoral election will be held next month.
先生は具体的な例を挙げて説明してくれた。
Sensei wa gutaiteki na rei wo agete setsumei shite kureta.
The teacher explained by citing concrete examples.
彼女たちは来春、挙式する予定だ。
Kanojotachi wa raishun, kyoshiki suru yotei da.
They plan to hold their wedding ceremony next spring.
容疑者は昨夜警察に検挙された。
Yougisha wa sakuya keisatsu ni kenkyo sareta.
The suspect was arrested by the police last night.
問題点をすべて列挙してください。
Mondaiten wo subete rekkyo shite kudasai.
Please list all of the issues in order.
賛成の方は挙手をお願いします。
Sansei no kata wa kyoshu wo onegai shimasu.
Those in favor, please raise your hands.
彼の挙動が不審だったので、警備員が声をかけた。
Kare no kyodou ga fushin datta node, keibiin ga koe wo kaketa.
His behavior was suspicious, so the security guard called out to him.
この政策は一挙両得の効果をもたらした。
Kono seisaku wa ikkyo ryoutoku no kouka wo motarashita.
This policy produced the effect of killing two birds with one stone.
観光客が大挙して島に押し寄せた。
Kankoukyaku ga taikyo shite shima ni oshiyoseta.
Tourists flooded onto the island en masse.
Memory Tip
Picture a hand (手) — the bottom half of 挙 — reaching upward. Now picture a politician at a podium during an election (選挙), raising that same hand to make a solemn promise. One gesture, many meanings: raising an example in a debate, raising a candidate for nomination, raising a ceremony into being. For Vietnamese learners, the Sino-Vietnamese reading CỬ connects directly to familiar words like cử hành (挙行, to carry out an event) and tuyển cử (選挙, election) — the meaning clicks immediately through existing vocabulary.