drift, float
On'yomi (音読み)
- ヒョウ
- チョウ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- ただよ.う
- ただよ.わせる
About this kanji
The kanji 漂 (ひょう, ただよう) primarily means "to drift" or "to float." It is often used as a verb, as seen in the word 漂う (ただよう), which means "to drift" or "to float freely in the air or water." Another common compound is 漂流 (ひょうりゅう), meaning "drifting," often in the context of being lost at sea. Additionally, 漂白 (ひょうはく) means "bleaching," referring to the process of making something white or lighter. This kanji captures the essence of things moving gently or aimlessly, so you might see it used to describe clouds floating in the sky or leaves drifting on a current.
Built from
Example sentences
葉が川を漂っている。
The leaves are floating down the river.
Meanings across languages
- English
- drift, float
- Tiếng Việt
- trôi nổi, lơ lửng
- 日本語
- 漂う, 漂流
- 한국어
- 표류, 플로팅
- 中文
- 漂流, 漂浮
- id
- melayang, mengapung
- th
- ลอย, ลอยอยู่
- es
- deriva, flotar
- fr
- dérive, flottant
- de
- driften, floaten
- pt
- deriva, flutuar
Common compounds
- 漂流ひょうりゅうdrifting, floating
- 漂白ひょうはくbleaching, decolorization
- 漂うただようto drift, to float
- 漂流物ひょうりゅうぶつdriftwood, floating debris
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.