脆
brittle, fragile, easy to beat, sentimental, susceptible
Readings
On'yomi
- ゼイ
- セイ
- セツ
Kun'yomi
- もろ.い
- よわい
Meaning
脆 centers on a lack of toughness or resilience: something that is brittle, fragile, or easily broken. The extended senses of being sentimental or susceptible describe emotional fragility, while 'easy to beat' applies the same idea to a weak opponent.
Most common words using 脆
- 脆弱ぜいじゃく
weak; frail; fragile
- 脆いもろいN1
brittle; fragile; weak; frail
- ゼロデイ脆弱性ゼロデイぜいじゃくせい
zero-day vulnerability
- 水素脆化すいそぜいか
hydrogen embrittlement
- 脆くももろくも
quickly (succumb, collapse, etc.); easily; without resistance (despite hopes to the contrary)
- 脆化ぜいか
embrittlement
- 脆弱国家ぜいじゃくこっか
fragile state
- 脆弱性ぜいじゃくせい
vulnerability; weakness; fragility
- 脆性ぜいせい
brittleness
Study
Etymology
脆 combines the flesh component ⺼ with 危, which likely contributes both sound and the idea of danger or precariousness, suggesting flesh that is easily damaged.
Meaning mnemonic
The flesh radical ⺼ beside 危 (danger) paints a picture of meat that is in danger of falling apart—brittle and fragile.
Reading mnemonic
For ゼイ, imagine a brittle twig snapping with a sharp 'zay' sound: zay -> ゼイ, and the fragile piece breaks.