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Kanji Detail for 浮 - "to float"

浮

  • Meaning

    浮 means "to float." Also associated with to exceed, restless.

    1. To float - To rise; to drift on water or in the air; to sail.

    2. Restless - Unsettled; without foundation; uncertain.

    3. To exceed - To go beyond limits; to be excessive.

    4. Superficial - Frivolous; merely surface-level.

    5. To have extra - To have a surplus; to have leftover.

    6. To be merry - To become cheerful.

  • Words using 浮

    • 浮き彫り うきぼり Listen relief; embossed carving; bringing to the fore
    • 浮揚 ふよう Listen floating (e.g. in air, water); floatation; buoyancy
    • 浮動票 ふどうひょう Listen swing vote
    • 浮上 ふじょう Listen surfacing; rising to the surface; emerging
    • 浮世絵 うきよえ Listen ukiyo-e; ukiyoe; Edo-period woodblock print
    • 浮かび上がる うかびあがる Listen to rise to the surface; to come to the front; to emerge (e.g. from obscurity)
    • 浮沈 ふちん Listen floating and sinking; rise and fall; ebb and flow
    • 浮遊 ふゆう Listen floating; drifting; suspension

  • Four-character idioms with 浮

    • 富貴浮雲 ふうきふうん Listen riches and honors are as fleeting as floating clouds; fortune and fame are here today, gone tomorrow
    • 盲亀浮木 もうきふぼく Listen unlikely event; rare occurrence
    • 軽佻浮薄 けいちょうふはく Listen frivolity; levity; shallowness

  • Tattoo check: 浮

    • Verified meaning: to float
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read うき)
    • Also carries these associations: to exceed, restless

    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.

  • Name readings of 浮

    Surnames 浮(うき)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    floating; float; rise to surface

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    to float, drift, waft; to exceed; superfluous

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    to float; superficial; floating; unstable; movable; provisional; temporary; transient; impetuous; hollow; inflated; to exceed; superfluous; excessive; surplus

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    to drift, to float; mobile, temporary, unstable; reckless

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

    Objects floating on the water surface without foundation. Hence, anything without foundation is called 浮. Unfounded talk is called 浮言 (empty words), meaning baseless words. | Empty and unsubstantial is called 浮. As in 浮慕 (superficial admiration), meaning only admiring the name without seeking substance. | Exceeding. As in "people exceed the work" (人浮於事), meaning the number of people employed exceeds the work available.

  • Onyomi

    tip

    fu(フ) フ

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    u.kareru(う-かれる) う-かれる

    u.ku(う-く) う-く

    uka.bu(う-かぶ) う-かぶ

    ukaberu(う-かべる) う-かべる

  • Strokes

    tip

    10 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    水 氵 氺 (mizu・sanzui・shitamizu)

  • Related Keywords

    to float restless to exceed to be merry to have extra superficial unstable drift buoyant hover levitate bob rise suspend unsettled surplus glide

Sentences including 浮

  • A good idea occurred to him.

  • He was always faithful to his wife.

  • She told the story with tears in her eyes.

  • Some students looked at her with tears in their eyes.

  • A good idea entered my mind.

  • There was not a man but had tears in his eyes.

  • A very bright idea came to my mind.

  • A good idea came into my head.

  • Yesterday i hit on a good idea.

  • A foolish idea came into my mind.

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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