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JLPT N118画 · 18 strokesradical 糸freq #2495

cocoon

On'yomi (音読み)

  • ケン

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • まゆ
  • きぬ

Mnemonic

Picture a delicate silk thread weaving a cozy cocoon, where a cozy caterpillar dreams of becoming a butterfly, snug inside its precious 繭.

About this kanji

The kanji 繭, pronounced 'mayu' in kun'yomi and 'ken' in on'yomi, means 'cocoon,' which is the protective case spun by silkworms. It is typically used as a noun. You might come across words like 収繭 (しゅうけん), meaning 'cocoon crop,' which refers to the harvest of cocoons, or 繭玉 (まゆだま), which are traditional New Year's decorations shaped like cocoons. Another interesting compound is 春繭 (はるまゆ), meaning 'spring cocoon crop.' A note to remember is that this kanji is often associated with silk production and has cultural significance in Japan.

Example sentences

  • 蚕が繭を作る。

    The silkworm creates a cocoon.

Meanings across languages

English
cocoon
Tiếng Việt
kén
日本語
한국어
고치
中文
id
kukur
th
รังไหม
es
capullo
fr
cocon
de
Kokon
pt
casulo

Common compounds

  • 収繭しゅうけんcocoon crop
  • 繭価まゆかprice of a cocoon
  • 繭玉まゆだまNew Year's decoration with cocoon-shaped cakes
  • 春繭はるまゆspring cocoon crop
  • 山繭やままゆJapanese oak silkmoth (Antheraea yamamai)
  • 玉繭たままゆdupion (double cocoon formed jointly by two or more silkworms), dupioni, cocoon
  • 屑繭くずまゆwaste cocoon (silk), bad cocoon, damaged cocoon
  • 黄繭こうけんyellow cocoon

Want to actually learn this kanji?

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