虫 — “insect / bug” in Japanese

Grade 1ちゅう, むし

Radical ⾍ · radical 142 The building block this kanji is filed under

“insect / bug” in Japanese is 虫, read chuu, mushi (ちゅう, むし). 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).

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What does 虫 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	虫
Meaning	insect / bug
Readings	ちゅう, むし
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	虫歯 (tooth decay)

How to read 虫

虫 is read chuu (ちゅう) or mushi (むし) depending on the word.

Words with 虫

幼虫ようちゅう
成虫せいちゅう
虫歯
昆虫

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Kanji read the same way as 虫

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28