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道Nihongo Path
腐

腐·rot

On-yomi
フ
Kun-yomi
くさ(る)くさ(れる)くさ(らす)

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
腐敗ふはいdecay; corruption
豆腐とうふtofu
腐るくさるto rot, to go bad
防腐剤ぼうふざいpreservative

Example sentences

  1. 冷蔵庫に入れ忘れて牛乳が腐ってしまった。

    れいぞうこにいれわすれてぎゅうにゅうがくさってしまった。

    I forgot to put the milk in the fridge and it went bad.

  2. 政治の腐敗が大きな問題になっている。

    せいじのふはいがおおきなもんだいになっている。

    Political corruption has become a serious problem.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 豆腐 as まめふ — it is とうふ
  • 腐敗 covers both physical rotting and moral corruption

Memory aid

Picture it

府, a government storehouse, with 肉 (meat) underneath: meat left in the store until it turns.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 腐 mean?