also: とん · どん
General term for strong desire or greed, often used in literary or formal contexts. Not an everyday word; more common in compounds like 貪欲 (どんよく).
His heart was filled with greed.
Only with reading とん
Buddhist technical term for one of the three poisons (三毒), referring to craving or lust. Usually read とん.
In Buddhism, raga is considered one of the three poisons.
greed and corruption; avarice and dishonesty
corrupt government official
Standard kanji form; reading とん is usual for the Buddhist sense, while たん is also used for the general sense of coveting.
Alternate reading for the general sense of coveting; less common than とん in Buddhist contexts.
Rare reading; appears in some compounds or older texts.
The kanji 貪 is composed of 貝 (shell, money) and 今 (now), suggesting immediate desire for wealth. The word itself is a Sino-Japanese reading (on'yomi) used primarily in Buddhist and literary contexts.