菌 means “germ, bacteria, fungus”

きん · kin

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

キン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 11 strokes

The story

Grass (艹) over grain (禾) shut in a storehouse (囗): picture mold blooming on stored rice. 菌 is germs and fungi: 細菌 is bacteria, 殺菌 is sterilizing, a word on soaps and sprays, and 納豆菌 is what turns soybeans into natto.

Used in 細菌 (saikin, bacteria), 殺菌 (sakkin, sterilization), and 納豆菌 (nattoukin, natto bacteria)

More from Sickness & Cures

• 疫 epidemic
• 癒 heal
• 尿 urine
• 吐 vomit
• 痕 scar
• 痢 diarrhea
• 腫 swell
• 痘 pox
• 瘍 ulcer
• 唾 saliva
• 梗 blockage
• 痩 get thin

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

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