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藁

わら

straw

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. あの藁は火が付きやすい。

    あのわらはひがつきやすい。

    That straw catches fire easily.

  2. 牛小屋の床に藁を敷いた。

    うしごやのゆかにわらをしいた。

    We spread straw on the floor of the cowshed.

  3. 溺れる者は藁をもつかむというが、彼はまさにその状態だった。

    おぼれるものはわらをもつかむというが、かれはまさにそのじょうたいだった。

    They say a drowning man will clutch at a straw, and that was exactly his situation.

Common patterns

藁をつかむ
to clutch at a straw
藁を敷く
to spread straw
藁ぶき屋根
thatched roof

Memory tip

The kanji 藁 is rare enough that わら is usually written in kana; you meet the character in 藁人形 and 藁ぶき. Note 藁 is dried rice stalk — the material — while 稲 is the growing rice plant.

Kanji in this word

  • 藁Not in the N5–N1 kanji lists

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 4 of 5

What does 藁 mean?