踏 means “step on, tread”

ふむ · fumu

Also: step, trample, carry through, appraise

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

ふむ, ふまえる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

トウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 15 strokes

The story

A foot (⻊) beside 沓, an old Japanese way to write shoes, with water (水) on top: picture boots splashing through puddles. 踏む is to step on, 踏切 is a railroad crossing with its clanging bell, and 雑踏 a jostling crowd.

Used in 踏む (fumu, to step on), 踏切 (fumikiri, railroad crossing), and 雑踏 (zattou, crowd/bustle)

More from Bodies in Motion

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• 揺 shake
• 滑 slide
• 屈 bend
• 翻 flip
• 践 put into practice
• 赴 proceed
• 跳 jump
• 垂 hang down
• 奔 rush

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

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