葛 means “kudzu, arrowroot”

くず · kuzu

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

つづら, くず

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

カツ, カチ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 11 strokes

The story

Grass (艹) over 曷, which gives the sound かつ: kudzu, the vine that climbs over everything. Its root makes 葛 starch for sweets and the cold remedy 葛根湯, and kudzu tangled with wisteria is 葛藤, inner conflict.

Used in 葛藤 (kattou, inner conflict), 葛餅 (kuzumochi, kudzu starch sweet), and 葛飾 (katsushika, Katsushika)

More from Trees & Blossoms

• 桑 mulberry
• 柿 persimmon
• 桃 peach
• 茎 stem
• 萎 wilt
• 藤 wisteria
• 松 pine
• 芝 lawn
• 杉 Japanese cedar
• 柳 willow
• 梅 Japanese plum
• 菊 chrysanthemum

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

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