Meaning & readings

urine

On’yomi ニョウ
Kun’yomi ゆばり、いばり、しと

Origin

This character combines two meaningful parts: the left component represents a body or corpse, and the right component is water. Together they form a compound that pictures the idea of liquid waste produced by the body — joining the concept of bodily origin with the concept of liquid to create the meaning "urine." The shape essentially shows water in relation to the body, capturing what the character refers to through visual combination rather than through any attempt at realistic depiction.

尿 7 strokes

Components

  • 尸 radical top-left wrap
  • 水 meaning part position.tarec

Common words

  • 尿酸 にょうさん uric acid
  • 糖尿病 とうにょうびょう diabetes; diabetes mellitus
  • 泌尿器 ひにょうき urinary organs

Reference

Strokes
7
Kangxi radical
44
Formation type
Compound ideographic (combined meanings)
Grade
Jōyō (secondary school)
Frequency rank
#1672 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 1
Unicode
U+05C3F