邪 means “wicked, harmful”

じゃ · ja

Also: injustice, wrong

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

よこしま

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ジャ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 8 strokes

The story

A fang (牙) beside a town (阝): picture fangs bared in the village, something wicked come to stay. 邪魔 is being in the way, which is why guests say お邪魔します at the door, and 風邪, an evil wind, is a common cold.

Used in 邪魔 (jama, hindrance/nuisance), 風邪 (kaze, cold), and 無邪気 (mujaki, innocent)

More from Vice & Folly

• 劣 inferior
• 痴 foolish
• 怠 lazy
• 弊 harm
• 癖 habit
• 卑 lowly
• 堕 fall
• 恣 arbitrary
• 惰 idle
• 淫 lewd
• 傲 arrogant
• 慢 conceit

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

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