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Kotomora

禍

calamity, misfortune, evil, curse

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 5,000Strokes13

Readings

On'yomi

  • カ

Kun'yomi

  • わざわい

Meaning

禍 centers on harmful events or forces that bring suffering: calamity, misfortune, evil, or a curse. The common thread is something bad that befalls a person.

Most common words using 禍

20 of 45
  • 禍か

    disaster; calamity; misfortune

  • 禍まが

    wickedness; evil; calamity; disaster

  • 禍根かこん

    root of an evil; source of a problem; source of trouble; cause of misfortune

  • 禍々しいまがまがしい

    ominous; sinister; unlucky; ill-omened

  • 惨禍さんか

    calamity; disaster; catastrophe

  • 戦禍せんか

    war damage; ravages of war; horrors of war

  • 災禍さいか

    disaster; accident; calamity; catastrophe

  • コロナ禍コロナか

    COVID-19 pandemic; coronavirus crisis; COVID-19 crisis

  • 交通禍こうつうか

    traffic disaster; traffic accident

  • 八十禍津日神やそまがつひのかみ

    god of evil; god who causes many disasters

  • 兵禍へいか

    ravages of war

  • 吉凶禍福きっきょうかふく

    good and bad fortune, and weal and woe

  • 大禍時おおまがとき

    twilight (traditionally regarded as a time when accidents and disasters are frequent)

  • 大禍津日神おおまがつひのかみ

    the great evil god

  • 奇禍きか

    unforeseen misfortune

  • 幸災楽禍こうさいらくか

    delighting in the misfortune of others

  • 患禍かんか

    disaster; calamity; trouble

  • 水禍すいか

    flood disaster; drowning

  • 病は口より入り禍は口より出ずやまいはくちよりいりわざわいはくちよりいず

    be moderate with your mouth; sickness enters through the mouth, calamities come out of the mouth

  • 白禍はっか

    White Peril (i.e. takeover by white race(s))

Explore all words using 禍 →

Study

Etymology

禍 combines 示 (altar, spirit) with 咼, which likely contributes the sound and carries a sense of harm or disaster. The character expresses calamity or misfortune as something of spiritual or supernatural origin.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side 示 suggests a spiritual altar, and the right side 咼 looks like a twisted, ominous shape. Picture a cursed offering on the altar that brings calamity and misfortune.

Reading mnemonic

For カ, imagine a car crashing into the altar, causing a calamity: car -> カ, and the disaster unfolds.