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Kanji Detail for 滅 - "to destroy, to perish, to extinguish"

滅

  • Meaning

    滅 means "to destroy, to perish, to extinguish."

    1. Destroy - To put an end to; to ruin.

    2. Perish - To die; to cease to exist.

    3. Extinguish - To put out a fire or light.

  • Words using 滅

    • 絶滅 ぜつめつ Listen extinction; extermination; eradication
    • 消滅 しょうめつ Listen extinction; extinguishment; disappearance
    • 撲滅 ぼくめつ Listen eradication; extermination; destruction
    • 破滅 はめつ Listen ruin; destruction; fall
    • 滅亡 めつぼう Listen downfall; ruin; collapse
    • 自滅 じめつ Listen self-destruction; ruining oneself; natural decay
    • 滅びる ほろびる Listen to go to ruin; to go under; to fall
    • 点滅 てんめつ Listen switching on and off (of a light); flashing; blinking

  • Four-character idioms with 滅

    • 不朽不滅 ふきゅうふめつ Listen everlasting; eternal; immortal
    • 千古不滅 せんこふめつ Listen everlasting; unchangeable; immortal
    • 寂滅為楽 じゃくめついらく Listen freedom from one's desires (entry into Nirvana) is true bliss
    • 常住不滅 じょうじゅうふめつ Listen everlasting; forever unchanging; undying
    • 心頭滅却 しんとうめっきゃく Listen clearing one's mind of all worldly thoughts
    • 支離滅裂 しりめつれつ Listen incoherent; inconsistent; illogical

  • Tattoo check: 滅

    • Verified meaning: to destroy, to perish, to extinguish
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Traditionally considered inauspicious in names — Japanese readers may find it an unlucky choice. Check the meanings above carefully before using it on skin.

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    destroy; ruin; overthrow; perish

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    extinguish; wipe out, exterminate

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    to extinguish or put out; to go out (of a fire etc); to exterminate or wipe out; to drown

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    to extinguish; to wipe out

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    To disappear. When an object enters water and cannot be seen. | Fire going out. As in extinguishing a candle is called 滅燭. | To exhaust. As in 絕滅 (extinction), meaning nothing remains. All complete elimination is called 滅. | 鹵莽滅裂. Means to arbitrarily assert oneself without careful deliberation, leading to destruction of the original state. The phrase appears in (Zhuangzi).

  • Onyomi

    tip

    metsu(メツ) メツ

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    horo.biru(ほろ-びる) ほろ-びる

    horo.bosu(ほろ-ぼす) ほろ-ぼす

    horo.bu(ほろ-ぶ) ほろ-ぶ

  • Strokes

    tip

    13 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    水 氵 氺 (mizu・sanzui・shitamizu)

  • Related Keywords

    to destroy to extinguish to perish die disappear fade lose ruin annihilation collapse extinction eradication devastation obliteration

Sentences including 滅

  • We were disillusioned with the result.

  • I was disillusioned at his married life.

  • My heart was in my boots when i thought of it.

  • He hardly ever opens a book.

  • Many animals have been destroyed by men.

  • Many animals have been destroyed by men.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 水 氵 氺 (mizu・sanzui・shitamizu)

See all kanji with this radical →

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