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Kotomora

葛

arrowroot, kudzu

StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes11

Readings

On'yomi

  • カツ
  • カチ

Kun'yomi

  • つづら
  • くず

Nanori

  • か
  • かず
  • かずら
  • かっ
  • かつら

Meaning

葛 centers on a specific climbing plant: arrowroot or kudzu. The meanings are botanical rather than abstract, referring to the plant itself.

Most common words using 葛

20 of 34
  • 葛藤かっとう

    conflict; complication; troubles; discord

  • 葛くず

    kudzu (Pueraria montana); Japanese arrowroot

  • 葛根かっこん

    kudzu root

  • 葛籠つづら

    wicker clothes hamper

  • 定家葛ていかかずら

    Asiatic jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum); Asian jasmine

  • 実葛さねかずら

    scarlet kadsura (Kadsura japonica)

  • 屁糞葛へくそかずら

    skunkvine (Paederia foetida); stinkvine; Chinese fever vine

  • 東京都立葛飾商業高等学校とうきょうとりつかつしかしょうぎょうこうとうがっこう

    Tokyo Metropolitan Katsushika Commercial senior High School

  • 段葛だんかずら

    raised path leading to a shrine

  • 熊葛くまつづら

    common vervain (Verbena officinalis); common verbena

  • 甘葛あまずら

    jiaogulan (species of herbaceous vine; Gynostemma pentaphyllum)

  • 真拆の葛まさきのかずら

    Asiatic jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum); Asian jasmine

  • 真拆葛まさきずら

    Asiatic jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum); Asian jasmine

  • 糞葛くそかずら

    skunkvine (Paederia foetida); stinkvine; Chinese fever vine

  • 美男葛びなんかずら

    scarlet kadsura (Kadsura japonica)

  • 葛かずら

    creeping plant; creeper; vine; liana; liane

  • 葛切りくずきり

    kudzu starch noodles

  • 葛布くずふ

    cloth made from kudzu (Japanese arrowroot) fiber (fibre)

  • 葛掛けくずかけ

    food dressed with liquid starch

  • 葛根湯かっこんとう

    infusion of kudzu, cinnamon, etc., used as an antifebrile, for hangovers, etc.

Explore all words using 葛 →

Study

Etymology

葛 combines the plant radical 艹 with 曷, which likely contributes the sound. The character originally referred to a type of vine or creeper.

Meaning mnemonic

The top 艹 shows it's a plant, and the bottom 曷 looks like a tangled mass of vines. Picture kudzu vines climbing and covering everything.

Reading mnemonic

For カツ, imagine cutting back overgrown kudzu with a sharp cut: cut -> カツ, and the vines are trimmed.