賂 means “bribe, payoff”

ろ · ro

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

まいない, まいなう

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ロ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 13 strokes

The story

Shells (貝), the old money, going to each (各) official in turn: picture a fixer making his rounds with fat envelopes. 賂 almost never appears outside 賄賂, a bribe, the word at the heart of scandals that have brought down Japanese politicians.

Used in 賄賂 (wairo, bribe)

More from Thieves & Swindlers

• 拉 abduct
• 偽 fake
• 唆 suggest
• 賄 bribe
• 謀 plot
• 虐 cruelty
• 拐 kidnap
• 詐 fraud
• 欺 deceive
• 殴 hit
• 窃 steal
• 賊 bandit

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