毒 means “poison”

どく · doku

Also: virus, venom, germ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ドク

JLPT N2 · Taught in grade 5 · 8 strokes

The story

Picture a plant sprouting (the top) over 毋, the old sign for "do not": a weed with a warning on it. 毒 is poison: 消毒 is disinfecting, 中毒 is poisoning or addiction, and 気の毒, poison to the spirit, means "what a shame".

Used in 毒 (doku, poison), 消毒 (shoudoku, disinfection), and 気の毒 (ki no doku, a pity/unfortunate)

More from Health & Healing

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• 浴 bathe
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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.