沃 means “fertile, rich”

よく · yoku

Also: fertility

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

そそぐ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ヨウ, ヨク, オク

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 7 strokes

The story

Water (氵) beside 夭, a figure swaying: picture well-watered crops bending under their own weight. 肥沃 is fertile, as in history class's 肥沃な三日月地帯, the Fertile Crescent, and iodine, once written 沃素, is now written ヨウ素.

Used in 肥沃 (hiyoku, fertile) and 沃素 (youso, iodine, now written ヨウ素)

More from Paddy & Pasture

• 稲 rice plant
• 牧 pasture
• 飼 keep
• 壌 soil
• 培 cultivate
• 肥 fertilizer
• 俵 straw bale
• 栽 plant
• 拓 clear land
• 鎌 sickle
• 穫 harvest
• 穂 ear of grain

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

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