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Kotomora

簇

group, crowd, swarm

Strokes17

Readings

On'yomi

  • ゾク
  • ソウ
  • ソク

Kun'yomi

  • むら.がる

Meaning

簇 centers on a dense gathering of living things: a group, crowd, or swarm. The idea is many individuals clustering together.

Most common words using 簇

  • 大簇たいそう

    (in China) 3rd note of the ancient chromatic scale (approx. E)

  • 簇々そうそう

    gathering; swarming

  • 簇出そうしゅつ

    springing up (in clusters); mushrooming

  • 集簇しゅうぞく

    aggregation; accumulation

Explore all words using 簇 →

Study

Etymology

簇 combines 竹 (bamboo) with 族, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of clustering. The character suggests bamboo growing in dense clumps, extending to any crowded gathering.

Meaning mnemonic

Bamboo (竹) often grows in thick clusters, and 族 (tribe, family) reinforces the idea of many individuals together. Picture a dense bamboo grove where every stalk is part of a larger crowd.

Reading mnemonic

For ゾク, imagine a zookeeper trying to manage a swarm of animals clustering around the bamboo: zoo -> ゾク, and the crowd of creatures matches the kanji's meaning.