dilute, thin, weak (tea), pampas grass
On'yomi (音読み)
- ハク
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- うす.い
- うす-
- -うす
- うす.める
- うす.まる
- うす.らぐ
- うす.ら-
- うす.れる
- すすき
About this kanji
The kanji 「薄」 primarily means "thin" or "dilute," and it often describes something that lacks thickness or strength. It's commonly used as an adjective and can also appear in verbs, such as when describing something that becomes thinner. You might encounter this kanji in words like 「薄い」 (うすい), which means "thin," or 「薄弱」 (はくじゃく), meaning "feebleness." Another compound, 「軽薄」 (けいはく), translates to "frivolous." A useful note is that when you refer to tea, saying it is 「薄い」 means it is weak or diluted in flavor, which can be important in Japanese tea culture.
Example sentences
この服は薄手で快適だ。
This clothing is light and comfortable.
Meanings across languages
- English
- dilute, thin, weak (tea), pampas grass
- Tiếng Việt
- loảng
- 日本語
- 薄い
- 한국어
- 얇다
- 中文
- 薄
- id
- mengencerkan
- th
- เจือจาง
- es
- diluir
- fr
- diluer
- de
- verdünnen
- pt
- diluir
Common compounds
- 軽薄frivolous, flippant, superficial
- 肉薄closing in on (the enemy, first place, etc.), coming close to, pressing hard
- 薄いthin (of an object), pale, light
- 薄弱feebleness, weakness
- 薄着being lightly dressed
- 希薄thin (air), weak (liquid), dilute
- 手薄shorthanded, short of hands, undermanned
- 薄めるto dilute, to water down, to thin
Words using this kanji
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.