germ, fungus, bacteria
On'yomi (音読み)
- キン
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
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About this kanji
The kanji "菌" primarily means germ, fungus, or bacteria. It is typically used as a noun rather than a verb. You will encounter it in several common compounds, such as "球菌" (きゅうきん), which means coccus, referring to spherical bacteria; "抗菌" (こうきん), meaning antibacterial; and "細菌" (さいきん), which translates to bacterium. Another everyday term is "ばい菌" (ばいきん), which means germ in a more general sense. Note that while "菌" can refer to harmful germs, it can also refer to beneficial fungi in certain contexts, showing that not all germs are bad.
Example sentences
この菌は病原性がある。
This bacteria is pathogenic.
Meanings across languages
- English
- germ, fungus, bacteria
- Tiếng Việt
- vi khuẩn
- 日本語
- 菌
- 한국어
- 균
- 中文
- 菌
- id
- kuman, jamur
- th
- เชื้อ, เชื้อรา
- es
- germen, hongo
- fr
- germe, fungus
- de
- Keim, Pilz
- pt
- germe, fungo
Common compounds
- 球菌きゅうきんcoccus
- 抗菌こうきんantibacterial, antimicrobial
- 細菌さいきんbacterium, bacteria, germ
- 殺菌さっきんsterilization, sterilisation, disinfection
- ばい菌ばいきんgerm, germs, bacteria
- 大腸菌だいちょうきんEscherichia coli (E. coli), colon bacterium
- 無菌むきんsterilised, sterilized, sterile
- 除菌じょきんdisinfection, sterile filtration
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