What is the Kanji for "Oil"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Oil", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Oil" is "油".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Abura".

Its onyomi reading is "Yu".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The radical "氵" means "Water" . And The kanji "由" means "Reason" and can be read as "Yuu", "Yu", and "Yoshi".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "油" mean in japanese?

"油" means "Oil".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Third Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N2 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

油: "Oil". The Japanese noun '油 (あぶら)' refers to oil, a thick, flammable liquid that is extracted from various sources such as plants, animals, and minerals. It is used for cooking, lubrication, and in various industrial and chemical processes. Oil can have different properties and usages depending on its source and refinement. For example: I need to buy some cooking oil - (料理に使うあぶらを買わなければならない). This machine requires oil to function properly - (この機械は適切に機能するためにあぶらが必要である).

油絵: "Oil painting". The Japanese noun '油絵 (あぶらえ)' refers to a painting that is created using oil-based paints. This type of painting technique allows for rich, vibrant colors and a distinctive, glossy finish. Oil paintings are a common artistic medium and are often used to depict landscapes, portraits, still lifes, and other subjects. For example: I enjoy visiting the art museum to see the beautiful oil paintings - (私は美術館に行って素晴らしい油絵を見るのが好きです).

石油: "Oil". The Japanese noun '石油 (せきゆ)' refers to the thick, flammable liquid that is extracted from the ground and used as fuel and for making various products. It is an important natural resource and a major source of energy worldwide. For example: The car runs on oil - (車は石油で走る). We need to buy more oil - (もっと石油を買う必要がある).

油断: "Carelessness". The Japanese verbal noun '油断 (ゆだん)' means 'carelessness'. It refers to a lack of vigilance or attentiveness, letting your guard down, and not being fully aware of your surroundings or the situation. This can lead to mistakes or accidents. For example: His carelessness led to him getting into an accident - (彼の油断が事故につながった). Don't let your guard down - (油断するな).

灯油: "Kerosene". The noun '灯油 (とうゆ)' refers to a type of fuel oil, commonly known as kerosene. It is a clear, flammable liquid that is used primarily for heating and lighting purposes. Kerosene is often used in spaces heaters, lamps, and other appliances. For example: I need to buy some kerosene for my heater - (ストーブのため、灯油を買う必要がある).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "ゆ" is read as "yu". The hiragana "あ" is read as "a". The hiragana "ぶ" is read as "bu". And The hiragana "ら" is read as "ra".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.