薫 means “fragrant, waft”

かおる · kaoru

Also: send forth fragrance, be scented, smoke (tobacco)

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

かおる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

クン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 16 strokes

The story

Grass (艹) over 重 and fire (灬): picture fragrant herbs smoldering, their scent drifting up. 薫る is to waft a fragrance, letters in May speak of 風薫る days, and in The Tale of Genji, Kaoru, written 薫, is a hero whose body gives off a natural scent.

Used in 薫る (kaoru, to be fragrant), 薫風 (kunpuu, early-summer breeze), and 薫陶 (kuntou, a mentor's shaping influence)

More from The Senses

• 匂 smell
• 嗅 smell
• 瞭 clear
• 視 look at
• 聴 listen
• 芳 fragrant
• 眺 gaze
• 臭 smelly
• 盲 blind

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

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