Meaning & readings

unfold, expand

On’yomi テン
Nanori のぶ、のり、ひろ、ゆき

Origin

This character appears to combine the idea of a hand or arm (the left side) with movement or unfolding (the right side). The shape suggests the action of spreading something out with your hand, like opening a fan or laying out cloth. Over time, the visual picture of this spreading motion came to represent the more abstract sense of unfolding or expanding. The character's structure reflects how physical gestures of opening and spreading naturally lead to meanings about expansion and display.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Pictographic or simple.

10 strokes

Components

This character is treated as a single, undivided shape (展).

  • meaning part

Common words

  • 個展 こてん solo exhibition; one-man exhibition
  • 出展 しゅってん exhibit; display
  • 進展 しんてん progress; development
  • 展開 てんかい development; evolution
  • 展示 てんじ exhibition; display
  • 展望 てんぼう view; outlook
  • 発展 はってん development; growth
  • 展示会 てんじかい exhibition

Reference

Strokes
10
Kangxi radical
44
Grade
Grade 6 (Kyōiku)
Frequency rank
#352 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 2
Unicode
U+05C55