漱
gargle, rinse mouth
Readings
On'yomi
- ソウ
- シュウ
- ス
Kun'yomi
- くちすす.ぐ
- くちそそ.ぐ
- うがい
- すす.ぐ
Meaning
漱 centers on cleansing the mouth by swishing liquid: gargling or rinsing the mouth.
Most common words using 漱
- 枕流漱石ちんりゅうそうせき
sore loser who stubbornly refuses to admit being wrong
- 漱ぐくちすすぐ
to gargle; to rinse (the mouth)
- 漱ぐすすぐ
to rinse (one's mouth); to gargle
- 漱石枕流そうせきちんりゅう
sore loser who stubbornly refuses to admit being wrong
- 盥漱かんそう
washing one's hands and rinsing one's mouth
- 石に枕し流れに漱ぐいしにまくらしながれにくちすすぐ
to live freely in the wilderness; to sleep on a pillow of stone and rinse one's mouth with river water
- 石に漱ぎ流れに枕すいしにくちすすぎながれにまくらす
to refuse stubbornly to admit one is wrong; to rinse one's mouth with a rock and rest one's head in a river
Study
Etymology
漱 combines 氵 (water) with 欶, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of drawing in or sucking, together suggesting rinsing with water.
Meaning mnemonic
Water 氵 on the left and 欶 on the right, which looks like a person 欠 with a mouth 口 and a tree 木, can be imagined as someone using water from a wooden bucket to rinse their mouth.
Reading mnemonic
For ソウ, picture rinsing your mouth with a soothing sound: so -> ソウ, as the water swishes and cleans.