暴

Violence

Level 61

How this kanji evolved

Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.

The character 暴 has an interesting evolution. In its earliest forms, it depicted 'exposing grain to the sun' (日 sun + 出 to come out + 収 to collect + 米 rice), representing the act of sun-drying. This core meaning expanded to include 'expose,' 'reveal,' and 'violent' (as something breaking forth exposedly). The modern form 暴 combines 日 (sun) with other elements that evolved from the agricultural imagery, maintaining the connection to sudden, forceful exposure. Arrived in Japan: The character 暴 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, when the Japanese writing system was being developed and Chinese characters (kanji) were systematically imported along with Buddhism and other elements of Chinese culture.

Reading reference

Onyomi (音読み)

ボウバク

Kunyomi (訓読み)

あば

Related Vocabulary

暴れる
to act violently, to rage, to struggle, to be riotous
暴虐
tyranny, atrocity
暴走
acting rashly, running wildly, behaving recklessly, rampaging, runaway (process), reckless baserunning
暴走族
young motorcycle-riding delinquents, bōsōzoku
暴騰
sudden rise, sharp rise, boom, skyrocketing
暴力
violence, mayhem
暴力団
bōryokudan, gangster organization (organisation), crime syndicate, yakuza
暴露
disclosure, exposure, revelation
乱暴
violence, assault, rowdiness, wildness, running riot, rough (handling, language, etc.), reckless, careless, coarse, rude, unreasonable (e.g. demand), wild (e.g. argument)