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Gargle

On’yomiそう・しゅう・す
Kun’yomiくちすす.ぐ・くちそそ.ぐ・うがい・すす.ぐ
MeaningsGargle, Rinse Mouth
JLPT N1 14 strokes #1996 most common Name kanji Radical water
書き順 · Stroke order

How to write 漱

Stroke order is not decoration — it determines how the character looks handwritten and how dictionaries index it.

14 strokes
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分解 · What it is made of

The parts of 漱

Almost every kanji is built from a small set of reusable parts. Learn the parts once and you stop memorising thousands of unrelated shapes.

部首 · Radical

The radical of 漱

Radical 85 of 214
Water

The radical is the part a paper dictionary files a kanji under, and it usually hints at meaning. 漱 is filed under (water) — radical number 85 of the 214 in the Kangxi system.

Other kanji built on 水

練習 · Practice

Drill 漱 right now

Three quick games built from this character's real data. Your streak is kept in this browser.

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Gargle そう・しゅう・す くちすす.ぐ・くちそそ.ぐ・うがい・すす.ぐ
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熟語 · In real words

Words that use 漱

Kanji are almost never met alone. These are the most common words built from this character, ordered by how often they actually appear in Japanese.

含漱 ガンソー gargling, rinsing one's mouth
漱げ ススゲ to rinse, to wash out; to have one's revenge, to wipe out a disgrace
漱ご ススゴ to rinse, to wash out; to have one's revenge, to wipe out a disgrace
漱が ススガ to rinse, to wash out; to have one's revenge, to wipe out a disgrace
漱ぐ ススグ to rinse, to wash out; to have one's revenge, to wipe out a disgrace
漱い ススイ to rinse, to wash out; to have one's revenge, to wipe out a disgrace
漱ぎ ススギ to rinse, to wash out; to have one's revenge, to wipe out a disgrace
漱ぎゃ ススギャ to rinse, to wash out; to have one's revenge, to wipe out a disgrace
漱がう ススゴー to rinse, to wash out; to have one's revenge, to wipe out a disgrace
漱ごう ススゴー to rinse, to wash out; to have one's revenge, to wipe out a disgrace
同音 · Sound-alikes

Kanji that sound like 漱

Japanese has far more kanji than syllables, so one reading is shared by many characters. These are the ones you will confuse with 漱 — learn them together, not separately.

画数 · 14 strokes

Other 14-stroke kanji

Useful when looking a character up by stroke count — and a common source of visual mix-ups.

頻度 · Frequency

Next in the frequency list

漱 is the 1996th most common kanji in written Japanese. Learning in frequency order is the fastest route to reading real text.

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質問 · Questions

About the kanji 漱

What does the kanji 漱 mean?

漱 means Gargle, Rinse Mouth. It is the 1996th most common kanji in written Japanese.

How do you read the kanji 漱?

漱 is read on'yomi (Chinese-derived) そう、しゅう、す; kun'yomi (native Japanese) くちすす.ぐ、くちそそ.ぐ、うがい、すす.ぐ.

How many strokes does 漱 have?

漱 is written with 14 strokes. The animated diagram on this page shows the correct order.

What level is the kanji 漱?

It appears at JLPT level N1, and Japanese schoolchildren learn it in name kanji.

What is the radical of 漱?

The radical of 漱 is 水 (water), radical number 85 of the 214 Kangxi radicals. The radical is the component a dictionary files the character under, and it usually points at the character's meaning.

What words use the kanji 漱?

Common words written with 漱 include 含漱 (ガンソー, gargling, rinsing one's mouth); 漱げ (ススゲ, to rinse, to wash out; to have one's revenge, to wipe out a disgrace); 漱ご (ススゴ, to rinse, to wash out; to have one's revenge, to wipe out a disgrace).

Which kanji sound the same as 漱?

漱 shares a reading with 相 (そう), 総 (そう), 集 (しゅう), 終 (しゅう), 争 (そう), among others. Same-sounding kanji are one of the most common sources of confusion in Japanese.

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