深 means “deep”

ふかい · fukai

Also: heighten, intensify, strengthen

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): ふかい, ふかまる, ふかめる, み-
On'yomi (Chinese reading): シン

JLPT N4 · Taught in grade 3 · 11 strokes

The story

Water (氵) in a place where trees are rooted and a fire burns below (深): the mysterious depth of a forest lake. 深い (fukai) describes not just physical depth but emotional profundity. 深夜 (shin'ya, deep night) captures the stillness after midnight. 深呼吸 (shinkokyuu, deep breath) is the centering breath before a martial arts form.

Used in 深夜 (shin'ya, late at night), 深呼吸 (shinkokyuu, deep breath), and 深い意味 (fukai imi, deep meaning)

Where it comes from

Phonetic-Semantic (形声文字): Water reaching into hidden depths below the surface.

Combines the water radical (氵) with components suggesting something reaching far down. Deep water is where light fades and mystery begins.

To remember it: Water (氵) that goes so far down you can't see the bottom: DEEP!

Words with 深

深夜 (しんや, shin'ya): late at night
深呼吸 (しんこきゅう, shinkokyuu): deep breath

Example sentences

この川は深いです。 This river is deep.
深夜まで勉強しました。 I studied until late at night.

Kanji that look like 深

浅 (shallow): 深 and 浅 are antonyms: both have 氵 (water); 深 is complex (deep), 浅 is simpler (shallow)

More from Measurement & Size

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