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JLPT N212画 · 12 strokesradical 穴freq #5999

steal, secret

On'yomi (音読み)

  • セツ
  • エツ

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • ぬす.む

Mnemonic

In the dark hole (穴), a thief quietly begs (乞) to steal secrets without being noticed.

About this kanji

The kanji 窃 primarily means to steal or act in secret. It is often used in nouns and can also be found in some verbs, particularly with its kun'yomi reading, ぬす.む, which means "to steal." Common compounds include 窃盗 (せっとう), meaning "theft," which refers to the act of stealing, and 窃気 (せっき), which describes "stealthy behavior" often associated with sneaking or being secretive. Another interesting compound is 窃笑 (せっしょう), meaning "sneering laughter," which suggests a hidden joy in secret mischief. A usage note is that while it relates to negative actions, it can also capture nuances of secrecy in various contexts.

Built from

Example sentences

  • 彼は窃盗の疑いをかけられた。

    He was suspected of theft.

Meanings across languages

English
steal, secret
Tiếng Việt
trộm, bí mật
日本語
盗む, 内緒
한국어
훔치다, 비밀
中文
偷窃, 秘密
id
mencuri, rahasia
th
ขโมย, ความลับ
es
robar, secreto
fr
voler, secret
de
stehlen, geheim
pt
roubar, segredo

Common compounds

  • 窃盗せっとうtheft
  • 窃気せっきstealthy behavior
  • 窃笑せっしょうsneering laughter

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