勃 — “Suddenness / Rise” in Japanese

Master (高手)ぼつ, ほつ, おこ, にわかに

Radical ⼒ · radical 19 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Suddenness / Rise” in Japanese is 勃, read botsu, hotsu, oko (ぼつ, ほつ, おこ, にわかに). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 勃発 (outbreak).

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What does 勃 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	勃
Meaning	Suddenness / Rise
Readings	ぼつ, ほつ, おこ, にわかに
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	勃発 (outbreak)

How to read 勃

勃 is read botsu (ぼつ) or hotsu (ほつ) or oko (おこ) or niwakani (にわかに) depending on the word.

Words with 勃

勃発

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Kanji read the same way as 勃

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28