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欲 (よく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 5,000 Meanings 1
noun, noun, used as a suffix
greed ; desire ; craving
Broadly covers strong wants, from material greed to basic appetites. As a suffix, it attaches to nouns to mean 'desire for X' (e.g., 食欲 appetite, 物欲 material desire).
Written forms 欲よく Usage 95%
Standard kanji form. High priority in news and common usage.
慾よく Usage 5%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
Kanji 欲 longing, covetousness, greed covetousness, greed, passion
Similar words 貪どん 欲よく Stronger, more formal term for avarice or insatiable greed, often used in literary or critical contexts.
欲よく 望ぼう A more abstract noun for desire or lust, often used in psychological or philosophical discussions.
Etymology The kanji 欲 represents 'desire' or 'want'. The reading よく is the on'yomi. The word is used both independently and as a suffix in compounds.
