燥

to dry up; have a good time

Kanji 1528

By understanding 燥, you can talk about everything from dry skin and dehydration to dried fruit and dryers. You'll be able to say, "We preserve shiitake mushrooms by drying them," and you'll know terms for "instant miso," "sun-dried mackerel," and "powdered milk," as well as "arid land" and "dry season." With 燥 you can even have a good time, as that's a minor meaning!

Revision history:

Jan. 28, 2021:

p. 2: Etymology Box: Replaced the old Henshall etymology with the new one.
p. 14: Rewrote parts of the caption, indicating that 皮膚 (not 皮フ) is the primary rendering of that word. I also enhanced the bulleted list in that caption.
p. 16: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.
 

Apr. 15, 2016: Originally published