欲 means “want, desire, greed”

ほしい · hoshii

Also: longing, covetousness, passion

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

ほっする, ほしい

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ヨク

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 6 · 11 strokes

The story

A valley (谷) beside a wide-open mouth (欠): an emptiness that keeps asking to be filled. 欲しい is the everyday "I want", 食欲 is appetite, and 食欲の秋, "autumn of appetite", is a classic Japanese nickname for the harvest season.

Used in 欲しい (hoshii, to want), 食欲 (shokuyoku, appetite), and 意欲 (iyoku, eagerness/motivation)

More from How Things Feel

• 疲 tired
• 忙 busy
• 偶 chance
• 偉 admirable
• 情 feelings
• 難 difficult
• 良 good
• 適 suitable
• 静 quiet
• 困 be troubled
• 恐 fear

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

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