Meaning
The kanji 賞 covers the meanings of prize, award, reward, praise, and appreciation. Its range is broader than it might first appear — from Olympic medals and corporate commendations to the quiet pleasure of savoring a poem or a piece of music.
Structurally, 賞 combines two parts. The upper portion, 尚 (esteem, elevate), conveys the idea of holding something in high regard. Below it sits 貝 (shell), which served as currency in ancient China. Put them together and you get the logic of giving something of tangible value — money or goods — to honor achievement. The connection is direct: rewarding someone means handing them something precious.
A grade 4 kanji, it appears in Japanese school curricula around age 9–10. At 15 strokes, it sits in the moderately complex range. Its radical is 貝 — the shell component that anchors many kanji related to wealth and exchange.
In practice, 賞 turns up in award ceremony headlines, museum exhibit guides, and food packaging alike. The phrase 賞味期限 (best-by date) alone makes it a word worth knowing.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
One on'yomi: ショウ (shō). It dominates compound words across news articles, formal writing, and daily conversation.
Common compounds with ショウ:
- 受賞 (jushō) — winning an award, receiving a prize
- 賞金 (shōkin) — prize money
- 鑑賞 (kanshō) — appreciation of art, music, or scenery
- 入賞 (nyūshō) — placing in a competition
- 賞品 (shōhin) — prize item
- 大賞 (taishō) — grand prize, top award
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
賞 has no kun'yomi in practical use. Classical dictionaries occasionally list めで・る (mederu — to admire, to cherish), but it is virtually absent from contemporary Japanese. For JLPT N3, the on'yomi compounds are all you need.
Common Words & Compounds
Key compounds, grouped by theme:
Awards & Competitions:
- 受賞 (jushō) — receiving a prize
- 授賞 (jushō) — presenting a prize (授 = to grant; 受 = to receive — same reading, opposite roles)
- 入賞 (nyūshō) — placing in a contest
- 大賞 (taishō) — grand prize
- 賞状 (shōjō) — certificate of merit
- 賞杯 (shōhai) — trophy cup
Money & Goods:
- 賞金 (shōkin) — prize money
- 賞品 (shōhin) — prize item
- 褒賞 (hōshō) — official commendation
Praise & Appreciation:
- 賞賛 (shōsan) — praise, admiration
- 鑑賞 (kanshō) — appreciating art or beauty
- 観賞 (kanshō) — enjoying scenery or ornamental plants
- 賞味 (shōmi) — savoring food; also the 賞味 in 賞味期限 (best-by date)
Famous Prizes:
- ノーベル賞 (Nōberu shō) — Nobel Prize
- 芥川賞 (Akutagawa shō) — Akutagawa Prize (Japan's top literary award for debut and emerging writers)
- 文学賞 (bungaku shō) — literary prize
Example Sentences
かれは今年の大賞を受賞した。
Kare wa kotoshi no taishō wo jushō shita.
He took home the grand prize this year.
賞金は百万円だった。
Shōkin wa hyakuman-en datta.
The prize money came to one million yen.
彼女の絵はコンクールで入賞した。
Kanojo no e wa konkūru de nyūshō shita.
Her painting placed in the competition.
先生は生徒たちの努力を賞賛した。
Sensei wa seito-tachi no doryoku wo shōsan shita.
The teacher praised the students for their effort.
週末に美術館で絵画を鑑賞した。
Shūmatsu ni bijutsukan de kaiga wo kanshō shita.
I spent the weekend taking in paintings at the art museum.
この映画はカンヌで賞をとった。
Kono eiga wa Kannu de shō wo totta.
This film won an award at Cannes.
賞味期限を確認してから食べてください。
Shōmi kigen wo kakunin shite kara tabete kudasai.
Check the best-by date before eating.
彼はノーベル賞を受賞した最初の日本人だ。
Kare wa Nōberu shō wo jushō shita saisho no Nihonjin da.
He was the first Japanese person to win the Nobel Prize.
春になると、公園で花を観賞する人が増える。
Haru ni naru to, kōen de hana wo kanshō suru hito ga fueru.
Come spring, the park fills with people out to enjoy the flowers.
Memory Tip
Picture a shell (貝) raised on a pedestal. In ancient China, shells were prized currency — handing someone a shell meant honoring them with real value. The upper component, 尚, pushes that idea upward: esteem, elevation. Put them together and you can almost see a shining shell trophy lifted above a crowd — the winner's reward.
Lock it in with the phrase: "A prized shell, elevated in honor." Vietnamese speakers can tie it directly to THƯỞNG — as in khen thưởng (to praise and reward) — which shares both the meaning and the ancient Chinese root.