汚 means “dirty, pollute”

きたない · kitanai

Also: disgrace, rape

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

けがす, けがれる, けがらわしい, よごす, よごれる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

オ

JLPT N2 · Taught in secondary school · 6 strokes

The story

Water (氵) held back by a crooked bend (亏): picture a ditch where the flow stalls and the muck settles. 汚い is dirty, 汚れる is to get dirty, and in the news 汚職, dirty office, is corruption.

Used in 汚い (kitanai, dirty), 汚れる (yogoreru, to get dirty), and 汚染 (osen, pollution)

More from Health & Healing

• 浴 bathe
• 乳 milk
• 毒 poison
• 脂 fat
• 効 take effect
• 療 treatment
• 患 illness

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