# 宮 palace

(crown) + 呂 (washtub)
★★☆☆☆
10 strokes
COCK PN
This is a total COCK. First of all, in the modern age, there ARE no palaces in Japan that even use this -when I show my Japanese friends this kanji, they're like, "Oh you mean Versailles?"

Second, even if you go back to the Heian period when there were palaces galore, 宮　is used as a suffix, and it's pronounced ぐう, as in JermaineGUU (Jermaine's Palace). But in people's names, it's pronounced MIYA, and in NON-place-name jukugo it's KYUU. What the palatial fuck!

My bad, I guess the Emperor's house is technically a 宮.

But even then (or at Versailles, for that matter!) a Japanese tourist would never say "Hey Mieko! Get a load of that classy MIYA!"

So, in short, the KUNyomi is only used in people's last names, and the only useful ONyomi (きゅう) is actually an exception - all the other (useless) jukugo use ぐう.

Aren't you glad you're learning Japanese now?

## Onyomi

KYUU | That's a CUTE palace you got there. All those cherubs in the cornices!

## Mnemonic

| The princess left her crown in the washtub at the palace.

## Kunyomi

みや | never used, except in last names, like Karin Amamiya, the labor rights activist. PN ★★☆☆☆

## Jukugo

子宮(しきゅう) | womb ☆☆☆☆☆ 子 (child) + 宮 (palace) = 子宮 (womb)

## Lookalikes

| Meaning | Hint | Radical
--- | --- | --- | ---
官 | federal | BUREAUCRACY |
宮 | palace | WASHTUB | 呂

The federal government is run by BEURACRATS.

There's a WASHTUB in the damn palace.

## Synonyms

palace 宮 宮殿