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JLPT N110画 · 10 strokesradical 阜freq #1154

collapse, fall into, cave in, fall (castle)

Also: slide into

On'yomi (音読み)

  • カン

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • おちい.る
  • おとしい.れる

Mnemonic

As the castle's walls crumbled, a nearby cliff gave way, causing the ground to collapse, just like the radical signifies a fall into chaos.

About this kanji

The kanji 陥 (kan) primarily means to collapse or fall into something. It is often used as a verb, as seen in the word 陥る (おちいる), which means to fall into a situation, like a hole or a trap. Another common compound is 欠陥 (けっかん), which means defect, often used in discussions about problems in products or systems. The term 陥没 (かんぼつ) refers to a cave-in or collapse, which can apply to structures or even metaphorical situations. This kanji highlights vulnerability, such as when something unexpected causes a downfall. Pay attention to how it is used in various contexts to deepen your understanding.

Example sentences

  • 彼は危険な状況に陥った。

    He fell into a dangerous situation.

Meanings across languages

English
collapse, fall into, cave in, fall (castle), slide into
Tiếng Việt
sập, rơi vào, sụp đổ, rơi (thành phố), lún vào
日本語
陥, 崩壊する, 落ちる, 陥没する, 滑る
한국어
무너진, 여기다, 무너지다, 여기, 미끄러졌다
中文
陷, 崩溃, 陷入, 落入, 滑入
id
runtuh
th
การทรุดตัว
es
colapso
fr
effondrement
de
Einsturz
pt
colapso

Common compounds

  • 欠陥けっかんdefect, fault, flaw
  • 陥るおちいるto fall into (e.g. a hole), to fall into (chaos, depression, dilemma, illness, etc.), to fall into (a trap, etc.)
  • 陥没かんぼつcave-in, collapse, sinking
  • 陥落かんらくsubsidence, sinking, cave-in
  • 陥穽かんせいtrap, pitfall
  • 失陥しっかんsurrender, fall
  • 陥入かんにゅうsubsidence, depression, sinking
  • 擠陥せいかんtempting into crime

Want to actually learn this kanji?

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