乾
drought · dry · desiccate · drink up · heaven · emperor
Details
Stroke Order
Cultural Context
Etymology
Composed of second and phonetic. Drying in sun.
Symbolism
Dry, toast, parch. Represents lack of moisture.
Related Culture & Scenes
- — Cat relaxing
Words & Expressions
Words written with 乾
Four-Character Compounds
乾坤一擲
けんこんいってき
stake all (on something); play for all or nothing; throwing all into a task
無味乾燥
むみかんそう
dull; uninteresting; dry
Poetry
わが袖は 潮干に見えぬ 沖の石の 人こそ知らね 乾くまもなし
Poem #92 from Hyakunin Isshu
Other kanji with the same meaning
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 乾 mean in Japanese?
乾 means drought, dry, desiccate, drink up, heaven, emperor.
How do you read 乾?
On'yomi: カン、ケン (KAN, KEN). Kun'yomi: かわ.く、かわ.かす、ほ.す、ひ.る、いぬい (kawaku, kawakasu, hosu, hiru, inui).
How many strokes does 乾 have?
乾 has 11 strokes. Its radical is 乙 (second).
Is 乾 a good kanji for a tattoo?
乾 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means drought, dry, desiccate, drink up, heaven, emperor. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.