膨 — “Swell / Get Fat / Thick” in Japanese

Master (高手)ぼう, ふく

Radical ⾁ · radical 130 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Swell / Get Fat / Thick” in Japanese is 膨, read bou, fuku (ぼう, ふく). 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 膨張 (expansion).

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What does 膨 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	膨
Meaning	Swell / Get Fat / Thick
Readings	ぼう, ふく
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	膨張 (expansion)

How to read 膨

膨 is read bou (ぼう) or fuku (ふく) depending on the word.

Words with 膨

膨張

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Kanji read the same way as 膨

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

Updated: 2026-08-28