“increase” in Japanese is 増, read zou, ma, fu (ぞう, ま, ふ). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 増加 (increase).
What does 増 mean?
人が少しずつ増える。
| Kanji | 増 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | increase |
| Readings | ぞう, ま, ふ |
| Grade | Grade 5 (Hard) |
| Curriculum | Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school |
| Example | 増加 (increase) |
増 is read zou (ぞう) or ma (ま) or fu (ふ) depending on the word.
Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side: