Skip to content
道Nihongo Path
鬱

鬱·depression, gloomy

On-yomi
ウツ
Kun-yomi
none

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

29 strokes, numbered in writing order. Data: KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
憂鬱ゆううつmelancholy, gloom
鬱病うつびょうdepression (the illness)
鬱陶しいうっとうしいgloomy, irksome
鬱蒼うっそうdensely wooded, thick with trees

Example sentences

  1. 雨の日が続いて憂鬱だ。

    あめのひがつづいてゆううつだ。

    Days of rain in a row leave me gloomy.

  2. 神社の裏は木々が鬱蒼と茂っている。

    じんじゃのうらはきぎがうっそうとしげっている。

    Behind the shrine the trees grow thick and dark.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 鬱陶しい as うつとうしい — the つ is small: うっとうしい.
  • Even native writers rarely write 鬱 by hand; うつ病 in kana is common.

Memory aid

Picture it

A thicket of strokes with 木 crowded on both sides of a jar — so densely packed that no light or air gets through.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 4 of 5

What does the kanji 鬱 mean?