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Kotomora

没

drown, sink, hide, fall into, disappear, die

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes7

Readings

On'yomi

  • ボツ
  • モツ

Kun'yomi

  • おぼ.れる
  • しず.む
  • ない

Meaning

没 centers on something disappearing beneath a surface or boundary: sinking into water, drowning, vanishing from sight, or metaphorically falling into a state. The idea of dying extends naturally from disappearing completely.

Most common words using 没

20 of 77
  • 没収ぼっしゅう
    N1

    seizure; confiscation; impounding; sequestration; forfeiture

  • 没ぼつ

    death

  • 沈没ちんぼつ
    N1

    sinking; foundering; going down; submersion

  • 水没すいぼつ

    submergence; immersion

  • 没頭ぼっとう
    N1

    immersing oneself in; being absorbed in; devoting oneself to; giving oneself up entirely to

  • 出没しゅつぼつ

    making frequent appearances; appearing often; appearing and disappearing

  • 没落ぼつらく
    N1

    ruin; fall; collapse; downfall; bankruptcy

  • 日没にちぼつ
    N1

    sunset

  • 陥没かんぼつ

    cave-in; collapse; sinking; depression (e.g. of the skull); subsidence

  • 埋没まいぼつ

    being buried

  • 戦没せんぼつ

    death in battle; killed in action

  • 没入ぼつにゅう

    being absorbed (in); immersion

  • 神出鬼没しんしゅつきぼつ

    appearing in unexpected places and at unexpected moments; elusive; phantom

  • 没するぼっする

    to sink; to go down; to set

  • 没後ぼつご

    after death; posthumously

  • 没年ぼつねん

    year of a person's death

  • 死没しぼつ

    death

  • 出没自在しゅつぼつじざい

    appearing and disappearing at will; elusive; phantom-like

  • 収没しゅうぼつ

    confiscation of possessions

  • 埋没原価まいぼつげんか

    sunk cost

Explore all words using 没 →

Study

Etymology

没 combines 氵 (water) with 殳, which likely contributes the sound. The character originally expressed sinking or disappearing into water.

Meaning mnemonic

Water 氵 on the left and a shape like a hand holding a tool 殳 on the right: imagine something being pulled under water by a current, sinking out of sight.

Reading mnemonic

For ボツ, picture a boat sinking and disappearing with a sudden 'botsu' sound as it goes under: botsu -> ボツ.