divine · occupy

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 占 can mean to tell a fortune or occupy a place; its on-reading is せん.
• Basic usage: 占う, read うらなう, refers to divination; 占める, read しめる, refers to occupying or accounting for something.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Meanings of the two kun-readings
  • Predicting the future through divination is 占う; a bookcase occupying a wall or users accounting for a proportion is 占める.
• Noun and conjugation
  • 占い is a noun referring to fortune-telling or its result. The te-form of the verb 占う is 占って.