Readings: ゾウ (Onyomi), にく.む, にく.い, にく.らしい, にく.しみ (Kunyomi)
Meaning: hate, detest, dislike
The kanji 憎 combines the radical 忄 (kokoro), representing “heart” or “mind,” with the phonetic component 曽 (sō), which implies “formerly” or “layers,” suggesting a deep-seated or accumulated negative emotion within the heart.
View JLPT N2 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 憎 has 14 strokes. Begin with the left radical 忄, writing the vertical stroke, then the two small strokes to the right. For the right part, write the top horizontal, then the vertical, followed by the two short horizontals, then the long horizontal, the two vertical strokes in the middle, and finally the bottom two strokes.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 忄 (こころ) |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 14 |
| JLPT Level | N2 |
| Grade | S |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- ゾウ (ZOU)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- にくむ (nikumu)
- にくい (nikui)
- にくらしい (nikurashii)
- にくしみ (nikushimi)
Common Words Using 憎
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 憎悪 | ぞうお | hatred, antipathy |
| 憎悪感 | ぞうおかん | feeling of hatred |
| 憎悪心 | ぞうおしん | spirit of hatred |
| 愛憎 | あいぞう | love and hatred |
| 嫌憎 | けんぞう | hatred, disgust |
| 憎悪犯罪 | ぞうおはんざい | hate crime |
| 憎悪表現 | ぞうおひょうげん | hate speech |
| 嫉妬憎悪 | しっとぞうお | jealous hatred |
| 憎悪の念 | ぞうおのねん | feeling of hatred |
| 怨憎会苦 | おんぞうえく | suffering from meeting those one hates (Buddhist term) |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 憎む | にくむ | to hate, to detest |
| 憎い | にくい | hateful, detestable; difficult to do (as a suffix) |
| 憎らしい | にくらしい | hateful, detestable, annoying |
| 憎しみ | にくしみ | hatred, animosity |
| 憎まれる | にくまれる | to be hated |
| 憎さ | にくさ | hatefulness |
| 憎くて | にくくて | being hateful, because it’s hateful |
| 憎むべき | にくむべき | hateful, detestable, abominable |
| 憎しげ | にくしげ | looking hateful, hatefully |
| 憎み合う | にくみあう | to hate each other |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 彼は嘘をつく人が憎い。
Kana: かれはうそをつくひとがにくい。
Romaji: Kare wa uso o tsuku hito ga nikui.
English: He hates people who lie.
Japanese: 彼女は彼らの不誠実さを憎んだ。
Kana: かのじょはかれらのふせいじつさをにくんだ。
Romaji: Kanojo wa karera no fuseijitsusa o nikunda.
English: She detested their insincerity.
Japanese: 彼の憎しみのこもった言葉に誰もが驚いた。
Kana: かれの憎しみのこもったことばにだれもがおどろいた。
Romaji: Kare no nikushimi no komotta kotoba ni daremo ga odoroita.
English: Everyone was surprised by his hateful words.
Japanese: 憎らしいほど可愛い猫だ。
Kana: にくらしいほどかわいいねこだ。
Romaji: Nikurashii hodo kawaii neko da.
English: It’s such a cute cat, it’s almost annoying.
Japanese: 戦争は憎悪しか生み出さない。
Kana: せんそうはぞうおしかうみださない。
Romaji: Sensō wa zouo shika umidasanai.
English: War only breeds hatred.
Japanese: 自分を憎むことは健康的ではない。
Kana: じぶんをにくむことはけんこうてきではない。
Romaji: Jibun o nikumu koto wa kenkōteki de wa nai.
English: Hating oneself is not healthy.
Japanese: 彼は不正を憎む。
Kana: かれはふせいをにくむ。
Romaji: Kare wa fusei o nikumu.
English: He hates injustice.
Japanese: その事件は国民の憎悪を招いた。
Kana: そのじけんはこくみんのぞうおをまねいた。
Romaji: Sono jiken wa kokumin no zouo o maneita.
English: That incident invited the hatred of the public.
Japanese: 愛と憎しみは紙一重だ。
Kana: あいと憎しみはかみひとえだ。
Romaji: Ai to nikushimi wa kami hitoe da.
English: Love and hate are two sides of the same coin.
Japanese: 彼のやり方は本当に憎らしい。
Kana: かれのやりかたはほんとうににくらしい。
Romaji: Kare no yarikata wa hontō ni nikurashii.
English: His way of doing things is truly annoying.
Related Grammar & kanji list
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