noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
mourning; bereavement
Refers to the state of mourning a death, or the period of mourning. Often used in compounds like 喪中 (period of mourning) or 喪服 (mourning dress).
彼は喪に服している。
He is in mourning.
喪中なので新年の挨拶は控えます。
Because I am in mourning, I will refrain from New Year's greetings.
noun
Only with reading も
Archaic noun meaning calamity or misfortune, restricted to the reading も. Not used in modern Japanese outside of historical or literary contexts.
古語では「喪」を災いの意味で用いることがある。
In classical language, 喪 can be used to mean calamity.
The kanji 喪 originally depicted a person mourning with a mulberry tree, symbolizing loss. The reading も is the native Japanese term for mourning, while そう is the Sino-Japanese reading used in compounds.