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KanjiGrade 1 › 虫
Kyōiku Kanji

虫 — insect / bug

Grade 1ちゅう, むし

虫 (readings: ちゅう, むし; Japanese kanji) means “insect / bug”. It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 虫歯 (tooth decay).

What does 虫 mean?

Kanji
Meaninginsect / bug
Readingsちゅう, むし
GradeGrade 1 (Easiest)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school

How to read 虫

虫 is read ちゅう or むし depending on the word.

Example words with 虫

Example虫歯 (tooth decay)
Practice writing 虫 — free
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Updated: 2026-07-14