# 渇 — thirst

渇 means “thirst”. It is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 11 strokes. On'yomi: カツ (katsu). Kun'yomi: かわ(く) (kawaku). You'll see it in words such as 渇き (kawaki, “thirst”).

- Meaning: thirst
- On'yomi: カツ (katsu)
- Kun'yomi: かわ(く) (kawaku)
- Strokes: 11
- Level: JLPT N1 · set Water & the sea 3

## How to remember 渇

Parts: 氵 water · 曷 why

## Words with 渇

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 渇き | かわき (kawaki) | thirst |
| 渇く | かわく (kawaku) | to be thirsty; to feel thirsty |

## Don't confuse it with

[掲](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/post-up/) · [葛](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/kudzu/) · [喝](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/bellow/) · [褐](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/brown/)

## More in the “Water & the sea 3” set

[潤](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/moisten/) · [堤](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/embankment/) · [澄](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/clear-water/) · [洪](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/flood/) · [渦](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/whirlpool/) · [泡](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/bubble/) · [濁](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/muddy/) · [渇](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/thirst/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/thirst/. Last updated 2026-11-01.