呑
drink
Readings
On'yomi
- トン
- ドン
Kun'yomi
- の.む
Meaning
呑 centers on the act of drinking, especially swallowing or taking in liquid.
Most common words using 呑
20 of 29- 鵜呑みうのみ
swallowing without chewing
- 呑気のんきN3
easy; easygoing; carefree; happy-go-lucky; optimistic; leisurely; careless; thoughtless
- 丸呑みまるのみ
swallowing whole; swallowing without chewing
- 雲呑ワンタン
wonton (Chinese dumpling); won ton; wantan; wanton; wuntun
- 息を呑むいきをのむN1
to have one's breath taken away; to gasp (in surprise, wonder, etc.); to have one's breath catch in one's throat; to gulp
- ぐい呑みぐいのみ
large sake cup
- はっと息を呑むはっといきをのむ
to gasp in surprise
- 併呑へいどん
annexation; absorption; merger; swallowing up
- 剣呑けんのん
risky; dangerous; insecure
- 呑んでかかるのんでかかる
to make light of; to hold lightly
- 呑吐どんと
swallowing and spitting out
- 呑師のみし
heavy drinker; boozer; tippler
- 呑気症どんきしょう
aerophagia; aerophagy
- 呑舟どんしゅう
swallowing a boat whole
- 呑舟の魚どんしゅうのうお
fish large enough to swallow a whole boat; colossal fish
- 呑酸どんさん
acid reflux; heart-burn
- 固唾を呑むかたずをのむ
to hold one's breath (in fear, anxiety, etc.)
- 声を呑むこえをのむ
to choke up; to be speechless
- 息を呑むほどいきをのむほど
breathtaking
- 息を呑むよういきをのむよう
breathtaking; thrilling
Study
Etymology
呑 is a variant form of 吞. It combines 夭 (which may be a simplified or variant form of 天) with 口 (mouth), suggesting something entering the mouth. The exact historical development is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
The top 夭 looks like a person bending forward, and the bottom 口 is a mouth. Imagine someone tilting their head back to drink directly from a bottle.
Reading mnemonic
For トン, picture a heavy drinker slamming down a ton of liquid: ton -> トン, and the mouth 口 at the bottom swallows it all.