Business, Commerce
あきな.う (akina-u)
Interesting Fact
The character 商 is connected to the Shang dynasty, one of ancient China’s earliest major civilizations. After the Shang dynasty fell, descendants of the Shang are traditionally said to have become associated with trading and commerce. Over time, the name 商 became connected with merchants and trade, eventually giving rise to words such as 商人（しょうにん）, merchant, and 商売（しょうばい）, business. So when you see 商 in Japanese, you are looking at a character whose history reaches back thousands of years.
Memory Trick
“A TRADER packs his GOODS into a BOX (口) and puts a LID (亠) on top before heading to the MARKET!” — 商 = BUSINESS / COMMERCE
Readings
Onyomi: ショウ (shou)
Kunyomi: あきな.う (akina-u)
Example Words
Example Sentence
駅の近くに 大きい 商店街が あります。
えきの ちかくに おおきい しょうてんがいが あります。
eki no chikaku ni ookii shotengai ga arimasu
There is a large shopping street near the station.