貪 means “greedy, crave”

どん · don

Also: covet, indulge in

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

むさぼる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

タン, ドン, トン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 11 strokes

The story

Now (今) over a shell (貝), the old money: wanting it all, and wanting it right now. 貪欲 is greed, though an athlete 貪欲 for a win is hungry rather than wicked, and 貪る is to devour, as in 惰眠を貪る, to wallow in idle sleep.

Used in 貪欲 (don'yoku, greedy/avid) and 貪る (musaboru, to devour/crave)

More from Plenty & Want

• 裕 ample
• 糧 provisions
• 剰 excess
• 乏 scarce
• 飢 starve
• 餓 starvation
• 窮 cornered
• 飽 tire of
• 倹 frugal

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

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