涙 means “tears”

なみだ · namida

Also: sympathy

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

なみだ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ルイ, レイ

JLPT N2 · Taught in secondary school · 10 strokes

The story

Water (氵) beside 戻, to come back: picture tears that keep returning however often you wipe them. 涙 is a tear, 涙目 is eyes brimming with them, and someone 涙もろい cries at every sad film.

Used in 涙 (namida, tears), 涙目 (namidame, teary eyes), and 嬉し涙 (ureshinamida, tears of joy)

More from The Human Body

• 汗 sweat
• 肌 skin
• 胃 stomach
• 膚 skin
• 脳 brain
• 臓 internal organ
• 皮 skin
• 胸 chest
• 腕 arm
• 毛 hair
• 肩 shoulder
• 腰 lower back

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