Kanji

滅

destroy, ruin, overthrow, perish

Kanji

Grade

Grade 8

Strokes

13 strokes

Radical

水部

On'yomi (Chinese Reading)

メツ

Kun'yomi (Japanese Reading)

ほろびる, ほろぶ, ほろぼす

Common Readings

メツ, ほろ…びる, ほろ…ぼす

Example sentences

消滅 しょうめつ
数年後には、その村は消滅してしまうかもしれない。

That village might disappear in a few years.

滅ぼす ほろぼす
勇者は世界を救うために魔王を滅ぼした。

The hero destroyed the demon king to save the world.

平家 へいけ
平家はついに源氏に滅ぼされた。

The Taira clan was finally destroyed by the Minamoto clan.

全滅 ぜんめつ
台風の影響で、農作物が全滅した。

The crops were completely destroyed due to the typhoon.

滅びる ほろびる
かつてこの地を支配した文明は、跡形もなく滅びた。

The civilization that once ruled this land has perished without a trace.

破滅 はめつ
彼の度を越したギャンブルが、家庭の破滅を招いた。

His excessive gambling led to the ruin of his family.

殲滅 せんめつ
敵の艦隊を殲滅した。

The enemy fleet was completely annihilated.

滅多に めったに
彼は滅多に怒らない。

He rarely gets angry.

偏窟 へんくつ
あの老人は偏窟で、近所の人たちと滅多に口をきかない。

That old man is eccentric and rarely speaks with the neighbors.

壊滅 かいめつ
大地震で村は壊滅した

The village was completely destroyed by the massive earthquake.

Example Vocabulary

Sottaku

About Sottaku

Sottaku is an app for learning Chinese, Japanese, Korean, English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian with a strong focus on SRS. It includes automatic flashcard creation for hundreds of thousands of words, grammar breakdowns in example sentences, language-specific study packs where available, adaptive quizzes, mobile apps, a browser extension, and community features. Give it a try now! All learning content is free with no limits on flashcards or study time.

Sottaku is built to match the habits of successful learners. By using Sottaku, you will naturally learn in the most efficient way possible, as proven by countless success stories in the language learning community.

Free Forever

Access all grammar guides, quizzes, and flashcards without paying a cent. Quality education should be accessible to everyone.

Smart SRS System

Our flashcard system uses the FSRS algorithm (also used in Anki) to optimize your review schedule and maximize retention.

Comprehensive Content

From hanzi, kana, hangul, and European vocabulary basics to grammar and reading practice where available, we have lessons for every level. Practice with quizzes tailored to your skill.

Community Chat

Ask level-appropriate questions and get help from the community. Learn together with fellow learners across all 8 supported languages.