insect, bug, temper
On'yomi (音読み)
- チュウ
- キ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- むし
About this kanji
The kanji 虫 means "insect" or "bug," and is commonly read as "むし" in Japanese. It can refer to actual insects or be used metaphorically to describe someone's temperament or personality. As a noun, it appears in several useful compounds, such as 害虫 (がいちゅう), which means "harmful insect," and 昆虫 (こんちゅう), meaning "insect" more generally. Another interesting compound is 虫歯 (むしば), meaning "tooth decay"—literally, "insect tooth," highlighting the damage caused by bacteria. Keep in mind that 虫 can express both physical forms in nature and abstract ideas related to character, showcasing the versatility of kanji in Japanese.
Example sentences
春になると虫が増える。
In spring, insects increase in number.
Meanings across languages
- English
- insect, bug, temper
- Tiếng Việt
- côn trùng
- 日本語
- 虫
- 한국어
- 벌레
- 中文
- 虫子
- id
- serangga
- th
- แมลง
- es
- insecto
- fr
- insecte
- de
- Insekt
- pt
- inseto
Common compounds
- 害虫がいちゅうharmful insect, noxious insect, pest
- 昆虫こんちゅうinsect, bug
- 弱虫よわむしcoward, weakling, scaredy cat
- 幼虫ようちゅうlarva, grub, maggot
- 虫歯むしばtooth decay, decayed tooth, dental cavity
- 寄生虫きせいちゅうparasite
- 玉虫色たまむしいろiridescent colour, equivocal (reply, statement, etc.), ambiguous
- 殺虫剤さっちゅうざいinsecticide, pesticide
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