字 Kanji Decipher

Meaning & readings

transparent, permeate, filter, penetrate

On’yomi トウ
Kun’yomi す.く、す.かす、す.ける、とう.る、とう.す
Nanori とおる

Origin

This character combines a radical meaning "cloth" or "thread" with a component suggesting something outstanding or prominent. The idea is that light or air passes through cloth in a way that makes what's on the other side visible — the cloth is thin or fine enough to let things come through it. Over time, the meaning extended from physical transparency to the general sense of something penetrating or becoming clear. The visual structure captures how a delicate material allows passage and visibility at the same time.

透 10 strokes

Components

  • 秀 meaning part position.nyoc
  • ⻌ radical bottom-left wrap

Common words

  • 浸透 しんとう permeation (of thought, ideology, culture, etc.); infiltration (e.g. of ideas)
  • 透視 とうし seeing through
  • 透明 とうめい transparent; clear
  • 透析 とうせき dialysis
  • 不透明 ふとうめい opaque; obscure
  • 透き通る すきとおる to be transparent; to be see-through

Related kanji

Same radical
Shares components

Reference

Strokes
10
Kangxi radical
162
Formation type
Compound ideographic (combined meanings)
Grade
Jōyō (secondary school)
Frequency rank
#1035 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 1
Unicode
U+0900F