Skip to content
道Nihongo Path
妬

妬·envy

On-yomi
ト
Kun-yomi
ねた(む)

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
嫉妬しっとjealousy
妬むねたむto envy, be jealous of
妬ましいねたましいenviable in a galling way
嫉妬心しっとしんjealous feeling

Example sentences

  1. 人の幸せを妬んでも仕方がない。

    ひとのしあわせをねたんでもしかたがない。

    There is no point in envying other people's happiness.

  2. 同僚の昇進を妬ましく思った。

    どうりょうのしょうしんをねたましくおもった。

    I felt a galling envy at my colleague's promotion.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • 妬む is hostile envy; 羨む is wistful envy — they are not interchangeable.
  • In 嫉妬 the 妬 is ト, not ねた.

Memory aid

Picture it

The woman radical 女 beside a stone 石 — envy as a heavy stone lodged in the chest.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 4 of 5

What does the kanji 妬 mean?