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Kanji 腐: meanings, readings, and example words.

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Kanji 腐: rot, decay, sour

Key takeaways

Kanji 腐: rot, decay, sour. Readings and core meaning.

See vocabulary and examples below.

Kanji at a glance

腐
N1

Meaning

rotdecaysour

On reading

フ

Kun reading

くさ.る-くさ.るくさ.れるくさ.れくさ.らすくさ.す

Radical

肉

Core meaning / core image

Core meaning: 腐

rot, decay, sour

Kanji structure breakdown

腐

Structure breakdown

府 + 肉

Mnemonic story

Mnemonic story

If meat (肉) is left in a government office (府) for too long, it will rot. This character is used to describe both the physical decay of food and the moral corruption (腐敗) of an institution.

On'yomi and kun'yomi

On reading

フ
  • 腐敗ふはい

    decay / corruption

Kun reading

くさ.る
  • 腐るくさる

    to rot / to decay / to go bad

Commonly used words

  • 腐敗
    ふはい

    decay / corruption

  • 腐る
    くさる

    to rot / to decay / to go bad

Example sentences

Example 1

食品が腐敗している。

Translation

The food is decaying.

Example 2

政治の腐敗が社会問題だ。

Translation

Political corruption is a social problem.

Example 3

果物が腐ってしまった。

Translation

The fruit has gone bad.

Example 4

彼の態度が腐っている。

Translation

His attitude is rotten.

Kanji 腐: rot, decay, sour | Daily Nihongo