莫
must not, do not, be not
Readings
On'yomi
- バク
- ボ
- マク
- モ
- ナイ
Kun'yomi
- くれ
- なか.れ
- なし
Meaning
莫 centers on negation and prohibition: expressing that something must not happen, should not be done, or simply is not the case.
Most common words using 莫
- 莫大ばくだいN3
vast; huge; immense; enormous; colossal
- 莫大小メリヤス
knitted fabric; knitted goods; knitwear
- 秋風落莫しゅうふうらくばく
forlorn and helpless; lonely and desolate
- 索莫さくばく
dreary; bleak; desolate
- 荒涼落莫こうりょうらくばく
scene looking desolate and forlorn
- 莫大海ばくだいかい
malva nut (Scaphium affine)
- 莫臥児もうる
lace; lacing braid
- 莫逆ばくぎゃく
cordial relations
- 莫逆の交わりばくぎゃくのまじわり
getting along extremely well; maintaining a fond friendship
- 莫逆の友ばくぎゃくのとも
very close friend; bosom friend
- 莫連ばくれん
worldly woman
- 落莫らくばく
desolate; dreary; lonesome
Study
Etymology
莫 originally depicted the sun setting behind vegetation, conveying the idea of dusk or disappearance. Over time it was borrowed to express negation and prohibition, while the original meaning was taken over by 暮.
Meaning mnemonic
The top 艹 suggests thick grass, and the bottom 旲 looks like a sun being swallowed. Picture the sun disappearing behind dense plants, leaving nothing behind — a scene of absence that matches 'must not' and 'be not'.
Reading mnemonic
For バク, imagine a guard shouting 'Back!' to stop someone from entering a forbidden area: Back -> バク, and the command means 'must not enter'.