脳 means “brain”

のう · nou

Also: memory

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

のうずる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ノウ, ドウ

JLPT N2 · Taught in grade 6 · 11 strokes

The story

Flesh (月) beside three strands of hair over a skull (the 凶 shape, once 囟, the soft crown of a baby's head): what sits inside your head. 脳 is the brain, 頭脳 is brainpower, and 脳トレ puzzles are brain training.

Used in 頭脳 (zunou, brains/intellect), 首脳 (shunou, leader/head of state), and 脳みそ (noumiso, brains)

More from The Human Body

• 臓 internal organ
• 皮 skin
• 胸 chest
• 腕 arm
• 毛 hair
• 肩 shoulder
• 腰 lower back
• 涙 tears
• 汗 sweat
• 肌 skin
• 胃 stomach
• 膚 skin

Learn 脳 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.