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Kotomora

徨

wandering

Strokes12

Readings

On'yomi

  • コウ

Kun'yomi

  • さまよ.う

Meaning

徨 centers on aimless movement without a fixed destination: wandering, roaming, or drifting.

Most common words using 徨

  • 彷徨ほうこう

    wandering; rambling; roaming

  • 彷徨うさまよう
    N1

    to loiter; to putter; to prowl; to wander about; to roam about; to knock around

  • 彷徨えるさまよえる

    roaming; loitering; wandering; far astray

  • 彷徨変異ほうこうへんい

    fluctuation; environmental variation

Explore all words using 徨 →

Study

Etymology

徨 combines 彳 (movement, step) with 皇, which likely contributes the sound and may suggest a sense of expansive or aimless movement. The exact historical development is uncertain.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side 彳 represents a step or movement, and the right side 皇 suggests something grand or expansive. Picture someone taking aimless steps across a vast, open space, wandering without direction.

Reading mnemonic

For コウ, imagine a wandering cow (こう) roaming freely across a field: cow -> コウ, and the cow's aimless wandering matches the kanji's meaning.