倒

to topple; fall; collapse; turn upside down

Kanji 1643

This kanji is full of instability. If you fall to the floor, fall ill, fall to a better team, or have your government's cabinet fall, this is the kanji to use. You can also use it if you fell a boxing opponent, wrestle an attacker to the ground, or simply collapse a car seat. When you turn anything on its head, from a Spanish exclamation point (¡) to a change in the word order of a sentence, this kanji can again help you discuss that state of affairs.

Revision history:

Nov. 27, 2024: p. 8: Clarified and expanded on the comment about pronouncing 面倒くさい in a sloppy way.

Feb. 7, 2022: Fixed a graphics problem on p. 1.

Feb. 5, 2022: 

• p. 1: Rewrote the first two paragraphs to match Henshall’s updated etymology.
• p. 2, Etymology Box: Updated the Henshall etymology and the Sears link.
• p. 10: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.

Dec. 18, 2011: Originally published.