溺 — “Drown / Indulge” in Japanese

Master (高手)でき, じょう, にょう, いばり, おぼ

Radical ⽔ · radical 85 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Drown / Indulge” in Japanese is 溺, read deki, jou, nyou (でき, じょう, にょう, いばり, おぼ). 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 溺死 (death by drowning).

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What does 溺 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	溺
Meaning	Drown / Indulge
Readings	でき, じょう, にょう, いばり, おぼ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	溺死 (death by drowning)

How to read 溺

溺 is read deki (でき) or jou (じょう) or nyou (にょう) or ibari (いばり) or obo (おぼ) depending on the word.

Words with 溺

溺死

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Kanji read the same way as 溺

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

Updated: 2026-08-28