Keyword
hole
Info
FrequencyTop 800-900
Type
Kyōiku (6th grade) 
?
KankenLevel 5
Heisig1413
Readings
あな
(91%)
けつ
(7%)
Composed of
roof with a chimney
short legs
Mnemonic

A pictograph of a volcano-like hole in the ground that was covered with a roof with a chimney.

Imagine a huge hole similar to the Darvaza gas crater. Let's say you'd like to cover it up, you know, so that no one accidentally falls in there and dies. So how'd you do it? Simple — just build a roof over it! And add a chimney so that the burning gasses can escape.

Used in kanji (29 in total)
empty air
thrust
window
research
Used in vocabulary (235 in total)
hole; opening; pit; hollow; burrow; den; deficit
to have a hole; to be pierced (with a hole)
large hole; big deficit; heavy losses; long-shot win (in horse racing, etc.); big winnings (on a long shot)
pitfall; trap; pit
to cause a loss; to make a hole (in)
to have a hole; to be pierced (with a hole)
cave; cavern; den; grotto
riddled with holes; full of holes; full of flaws; full of loopholes; faulty
knothole; peep-hole; (fig.) bad eyes; tunnel vision
to have a hole; to be pierced (with a hole)
to dig one's own grave; to bring calamity upon oneself; to make a rod for one's own back
nesting hole; burrow; den
pore (of the skin)
filling (up) a hole; filling in (for a gap, vacancy, etc.); stopgap; making up (for a loss, damage, etc.); covering (a deficit); fill-in-the-blank activity
to fill in a hole; to plug a gap (money, personnel, etc.); to make up for a deficiency; to cover a deficit
air hole; windhole; air vent; deep cave from which cold wind blows
cave; tunnel; tunnel tomb (Kofun period)
to cause a loss; to make a hole (in)
good place not many people know about; great little-known spot; good out-of-the-way place; betting booth (at a racecourse)
grave (pit)
secret passage; underground passage; loophole; hole one can go through; opening
to cause a loss; to make a hole (in)
cellar; cave; hole in the ground
to fill a hole with earth
to find someone's weak spot; (lit.) to drill a hole
excavation; digging
anus; asshole; bastard
to penetrate a body (e.g. with a spear or bullet); to breathe new life into; to provide a potential solution
(to be ashamed enough) to wish you could just disappear; wanting to sink into the ground in shame
eye of a needle
anus; asshole; arsehole
peephole; spyhole; inspection hole; observation window
anus; asshole; arsehole
to fill with holes; to riddle (e.g. with bullets)
cellar; cave; hole in the ground
(staring) piercingly; (looking) hard
(villains) of the same stripe; birds of a feather; (lit.) badgers of the same hole
hole; hollow; pothole (road, pavement, etc.)
drilling; hole punching
vagina; anus
cellar; cave; hole in the ground
badger; Eurasian badger (Meles meles); anaguma castle (defensive opening)
cave; cavern; den; grotto
lion's den; very dangerous place or situation; (lit.) tiger's den
air vent (hole)
(staring) piercingly; (looking) hard
pierced; drilled; perforated; hollow
(villains) of the same stripe; birds of a feather; (lit.) badgers of the same hole
(staring) piercingly; (looking) hard
rock cave; rock cavern
peephole; spyhole; inspection hole; observation window
curses come home to roost; (lit.) if you curse someone, dig two graves
drilling; hole punching
nothing ventured, nothing gained; (lit.) you will not get the tiger cub without entering the tiger's den
one hole; toilet bowl (for both urination and defecation); effective point for moxibustion; one-woman man
nothing ventured, nothing gained; (lit.) you will not get the tiger cub without entering the tiger's den
conger eel (esp. the common Japanese conger, Conger myriaster); garden eel
ass; arse; rear; end; acupuncture point; hole
two holes; toilet with separate chambers for urine and faeces; riding double (on a bicycle, motorcycle, etc.)
(staring) piercingly; (looking) hard
to find someone's weak spot; (lit.) to drill a hole
betting on an outsider (in horse racing, etc.); taking a long shot; dark horse betting
dragon's den; auspicious place for a temple, town, etc. to be built (feng shui)
nothing ventured, nothing gained; (lit.) you will not get the tiger cub without entering the tiger's den
to penetrate a body (e.g. with a spear or bullet); to breathe new life into; to provide a potential solution
pitfall; trap; pit
pitfall; trap; pit
(staring) piercingly; (looking) hard
pierced; drilled; perforated; hollow
acupuncture point
dragon's den; auspicious place for a temple, town, etc. to be built (feng shui)
(villains) of the same stripe; birds of a feather; (lit.) badgers of the same hole
volcanic cave traditionally said to be inhabited
chuck-farthing (game of throwing coins in a hole); pitch-farthing
piercing (esp. in the ear); piercing hole
cave dwelling; troglodytism
fill-in-the-blank question; cloze test (i.e. text with words removed)
same hole (in which to live); gang; group
(villains) of the same stripe; birds of a feather; (lit.) badgers of the same hole
men who have had sex with the same woman; (lit.) hole brothers
pit; shaft
cave dweller; caveman
hole; hollow; pothole (road, pavement, etc.)
knothole; peep-hole; (fig.) bad eyes; tunnel vision
(staring) piercingly; (looking) hard
fishing by dropping a line between rocks or concrete tetrapods; ice fishing (esp. for smelt); sniggling (fishing for eels by thrusting a baited hook into their dens)
pitfall; trap; pit
dark horse (candidate)
happy life partnership; living faithfully together till death; Venus's flower basket (Euplectella aspergillum)
cheese with holes in it (e.g. Swiss, Emmenthal)
Okuninushi; deity of magic and medicine later viewed as equivalent to Daikokuten and celebrated at Izumo Grand Shrine
anus; asshole; arsehole
cave from which cold wind blows
filling (up) a hole; filling in (for a gap, vacancy, etc.); stopgap; making up (for a loss, damage, etc.); covering (a deficit); fill-in-the-blank activity
cluster of Kofun-period graves
secret passage; underground passage; loophole; hole one can go through; opening
(staring) piercingly; (looking) hard
small gate in a mud or stone wall
finger hole (on a flute, bowling ball, etc.)
rathole; mousehole
excavation; digging
(villains) of the same stripe; birds of a feather; (lit.) raccoon dogs of the same hole
small-minded; petty; cowardly; chicken-hearted
small-minded; petty; cowardly; chicken-hearted
European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
perforated coin
curses come home to roost; (lit.) if you curse someone, dig two graves
excavation; digging
anaguma castle (defensive opening)
posthole (archaeology)
road taken by a Chinese ajari buddhist monk when he incurred the wrath of emperor Genso (685-762)
pressure points (e.g. for application of moxa); vulnerable body cavities
(hole) punch; stiletto
very old type of kiln made by digging a hole in the side of a hill
giant's kettle; giant's cauldron; pothole
(villains) of the same stripe; birds of a feather; (lit.) foxes of the same hole
bell-mouth spillway; morning glory spillway; glory hole spillway
being buried in the same grave
European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
anus; asshole; arsehole
to each their own; different strokes for different folks; cut your coat to suit your cloth; (lit.) a crab digs a hole like its own shell
flat broke; stone broke; penniless
tunnel tomb (Kofun period)
bear that hasn't entered hibernation
European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
to have a narrow view of things; (lit.) to peek at the sky through the eye of a needle
bucket; pail
pilot hole; rough hole; prepared hole
mortice; mortise
horizontal stone chamber; corridor-type tunnel tomb
(hole) punch; stiletto
possible winner (in a horse race); third favorite
storage pit (esp. Jomon to Yayoi periods)
gold mine; provider of funds; financial supporter; rich person
dark hole; idiot; fool; road taken by a Chinese ajari buddhist monk when he incurred the wrath of emperor Genso (685-762)
Bulwer's petrel (Bulweria bulwerii)
perforated coin
(villains) of the same stripe; birds of a feather; (lit.) raccoon dogs of the same hole
pitfall; trap; pit
crevice; aperture
fishing by dropping a line between rocks or concrete tetrapods; ice fishing (esp. for smelt); sniggling (fishing for eels by thrusting a baited hook into their dens)
out of the frying pan into the fire; (lit.) out of the tiger's mouth into the dragon's den
flat or stone broke
a burn hole
pierced; drilled; perforated; hollow
pitfall; trap; pit
hole; hollow; pothole (road, pavement, etc.)
to suddenly assume an antagonistic attitude; to suddenly become defiant; to turn aggressive (in one's manner); to moon; to point one's naked buttocks at someone; to give someone the brown-eye
spotted garden eel (Heteroconger hassi)
spotted garden eel (Heteroconger hassi)
anus; asshole; arsehole
anus; asshole; arsehole
anus; asshole; arsehole
anus; asshole; arsehole
cheese with holes in it (e.g. Swiss, Emmenthal)
splendid garden eel (Gorgasia preclara); orange-barred garden eel
road taken by a Chinese ajari buddhist monk when he incurred the wrath of emperor Genso (685-762)
pressure points (e.g. for application of moxa); vulnerable body cavities
digger wasp
to have a narrow view of things; (lit.) to peek at the sky through the eye of a needle
clearance hole (hole for a bolt, screw, etc., which is large enough to allow the thread, etc. to pass through)
clearance hole (hole for a bolt, screw, etc., which is large enough to allow the thread, etc. to pass through)
mortice; mortise
mortice; mortise
Japanese badger (Meles meles anakuma)
dark hole; idiot; fool; road taken by a Chinese ajari buddhist monk when he incurred the wrath of emperor Genso (685-762)
boring (a hole)
honey badger (Mellivora capensis)
eye of a needle; hole
perforations (e.g. in film)
perforated ladle; slotted spoon
perforated ladle; slotted spoon
kanji "hole" radical at top
kanji "hole" radical at top
needle with a normal eye
needle with a normal eye
needle with a normal eye
hexagon socket head; Allen socket head
hexagon socket head; Allen socket head
Okuninushi; deity of magic and medicine later viewed as equivalent to Daikokuten and celebrated at Izumo Grand Shrine
cross-head screw; Phillips-head screw; Phillips screw
the seven orifices of the head (eyes, nostrils, ear canals, mouth)
to have a narrow view of things; (lit.) to peep at the sky through a keyhole
to have a narrow view of things; (lit.) to peep at the sky through a keyhole
to have a narrow view of things; (lit.) to peek at the sky through the eye of a needle
common Japanese conger eel (Conger myriaster); whitespotted conger
American badger (Taxidea taxus)
ferret badger (esp. the Chinese ferret-badger, Melogale moschata)
burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia)
burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia)
duck-billed eel (Nettastoma parviceps)
snubnosed eel (Simenchelys parasitica)
spinycheek sleeper (Eleotris oxycephala); spined sleeper
sheep's ear abalone (Haliotis ovina)
Japanese mud shrimp (Upogebia major)
Examples (56 in total)
A bear spends the winter in its lair.
This stone has a hole in the center.
Watch out! There's a big hole there.