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JLPT N26画 · 6 strokesradical 油grade 3freq #2500

oil, fat

On'yomi (音読み)

  • ユウ

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • あぶら

Mnemonic

Imagine a giant bottle of oil, with two fat drops splashing out as they compete to see which one can make the biggest mess!

About this kanji

The kanji "油" means oil or fat, and it is used both as a noun and in various verb expressions. The native reading is "あぶら," which refers to oil or fat in general. In compounds, it forms words like "油脂" (ゆし), which means fat, and "石油" (せきゆ), which means petroleum. Another interesting compound is "油断" (ゆだん), meaning carelessness, highlighting that being "oiled" or lax can lead to mistakes. You can also encounter "油絵" (あぶらえ), which refers to oil paintings. This kanji is common in cooking and artistic contexts, so you'll see it often in everyday situations.

Built from

Example sentences

  • 料理に油を加える。

    Add oil to the dish.

Meanings across languages

English
oil, fat
Tiếng Việt
dầu, mỡ
日本語
あぶら, ゆ
한국어
기름, 지방
中文
油, 脂肪
id
minyak, lemak
th
น้ำมัน, ไขมัน
es
aceite, grasa
fr
huile, graisse
de
Öl, Fett
pt
óleo, gordura

Common compounds

  • 油脂ゆしfat, oily substances
  • 石油せきゆpetroleum, oil
  • 油断ゆだんcarelessness, neglect
  • 油絵あぶらえoil painting

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