哺
nurse, suckle
Readings
On'yomi
- ホ
Kun'yomi
- はぐく.む
- ふく.む
Meaning
哺 centers on feeding an infant or young animal directly from the body: nursing or suckling. It is specifically about providing milk, not general feeding.
Most common words using 哺
- 哺乳類ほにゅうるい
mammal; mammalian
- 哺乳ほにゅう
suckling; nursing; lactation
- 反哺はんぽ
caring for one's parents in return
- 哺ほ
holding food in one's mouth; food held in one's mouth
- 哺を吐くほをはく
to be eager to meet someone
- 哺乳児ほにゅうじ
infant at the breast; suckling baby
- 哺乳動物ほにゅうどうぶつ
mammal
- 哺乳器ほにゅうき
baby's bottle
- 哺乳器官ほにゅうきかん
mamma (milk-secreting organ of female mammals)
- 哺乳形類ほにゅうけいるい
Mammaliaformes
- 哺乳期ほにゅうき
lactation period
- 哺乳瓶ほにゅうびん
baby bottle; nursing bottle; feeding bottle
- 哺乳綱ほにゅうこう
Mammalia
- 哺乳類型爬虫類ほにゅうるいがたはちゅうるい
mammal-like reptile
- 哺乳類学ほにゅうるいがく
mammalogy
- 哺育ほいく
nursing (esp. an animal); suckling; (feeding and) raising
- 握髪吐哺あくはつとほ
(a statesman making) extraordinary efforts to find and employ capable persons (persons of great wisdom)
- 日本哺乳動物卵子学会にっぽんほにゅうどうぶつらんしがっかい
Japanese Society of Mammalian Ova Research; JSMOR
Study
Etymology
哺 combines 口 (mouth) with 甫, which likely contributes the sound and may relate to spreading or extending, suggesting the act of feeding from mouth to mouth or providing nourishment.
Meaning mnemonic
A mouth 口 beside 甫, which looks like a nursing infant with a rounded body and a small head. Picture a baby's mouth latching on to nurse.
Reading mnemonic
For ホ, imagine a mother softly saying 'ho' to soothe her nursing baby: ho -> ホ, and the mouth 口 feeds the child.