盜
thief, to steal
StatusJinmeiyō (variant)Strokes12
Readings
On'yomi
- トウ
Kun'yomi
- ぬす.む
Meaning
盜 centers on taking something that belongs to another without permission: a thief or the act of stealing.
Study
Etymology
盜 is the traditional form of 盗. It combines 㳄 (saliva, desire) with 皿 (dish), suggesting a person coveting a dish and taking it. The modern simplified form 盗 replaces the top with 次.
Meaning mnemonic
The top part 㳄 looks like a person drooling with desire, and the bottom 皿 is a dish. Picture someone drooling over a valuable dish and sneaking away with it: that's a thief stealing.
Reading mnemonic
For トウ, imagine a thief stealing a toe ring from a dish: toe -> トウ, and the thief covets the shiny ring.