繁 means “thriving, thick, busy”

はん · han

Also: luxuriant, overgrown, frequency

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

しげる, しげく

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ハン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 16 strokes

The story

Nimble (敏) over thread (糸): fingers flying across a loom, threads crowding thick. 繁 is thick and busy: 繁華街 is a bustling downtown, 頻繁 is frequent, and 繁栄 is prosperity.

Used in 繁栄 (han'ei, prosperity), 頻繁 (hinpan, frequent), and 繁華街 (hankagai, busy downtown district)

More from Grow & Wane

• 尽 run out
• 膨 swell
• 殖 multiply
• 騰 soar
• 衰 decline
• 累 accumulate
• 堆 pile
• 旺 flourishing
• 耗 wear down
• 勃 sudden rise
• 展 unfold
• 張 stretch

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

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