Kanji 衰: decline, wane, weaken

Key takeaways

Kanji 衰: decline, wane, weaken. Readings and core meaning.

See vocabulary and examples below.

Kanji at a glance

衰

Meaning

declinewaneweaken

On reading

スイ

Kun reading

おとろ.える

Radical

衣

Core meaning / core image

Core meaning: 衰

decline, wane, weaken

Kanji structure breakdown

衰

Structure breakdown

衣 + 口

Mnemonic story

Imagine clothes (衣) that have developed a hole or opening (口) in the middle. Just as old clothes wear out and lose their form, this character represents the process of declining or weakening over time.

On'yomi and kun'yomi

On reading

スイ

老衰ろうすい
senility / age-related decline

Kun reading

おとろ.える

衰えるおとろえる
to weaken / to decline / to fade

Commonly used words

老衰
ろうすい
senility / age-related decline
衰える
おとろえる
to weaken / to decline / to fade

Example sentences

Example 1

年をとると体力がおとろえる。

Translation

Physical strength declines as you get older.

Example 2

景気がおとろえている。

Translation

The economy is weakening.

Example 3

祖父は老衰で静かに亡くなりました。

Translation

My grandfather passed away peacefully from senility.

Example 4

老衰による体力の低下が目立つ。

Translation

The decline in physical strength from senility is noticeable.

Kanji 衰: decline, wane, weaken

Kanji at a glance

Core meaning / core image

Kanji structure breakdown

Mnemonic story

On'yomi and kun'yomi

On reading

Kun reading

Commonly used words

Example sentences

衰える (おとろえる): meaning and examples

老衰 (ろうすい): meaning and examples