虫 means “insect, bug”

むし · mushi

Also: temper

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

むし

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

チュウ, キ

Taught in grade 1 · 6 strokes

The story

Summer nights in Japan come alive with the chorus of insects. Children catch beetles and crickets as cherished pets, and 虫の声 (voices of insects) is a beloved seasonal sound.

Used in 昆虫 (konchuu, insect) and 虫歯 (mushiba, cavity; lit. "bug tooth")

More from Animals & Creatures

• 羊 sheep
• 豚 pig
• 鹿 deer
• 熊 bear
• 蛇 snake
• 兎 rabbit
• 象 elephant
• 竜 dragon
• 亀 turtle
• 猿 monkey
• 鯨 whale
• 狐 fox

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

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