Depicts a mouth (今) facing a shell (貝). In ancient China, shells were used as currency. 今 also represents the sound.
Components
Notes
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Similar Characters
寶 treasure (trad)得 must負 defeated (trad/jp)貫 pierce (trad/jp)買 buy (trad/jp)賏 pearls or shells賓 visitor (trad/jp)唄 song (trad/jp)敗 fail (trad/jp)狽 short (trad)賊 burglar (trad/jp)贅 unnecessary (trad)鋇 barium (trad)嗩 flute-like (trad)真 true財 riches (trad/jp)貢 tribute (trad/jp)貧 impoverished (trad/jp)貨 commodities (trad/jp)販 peddler (trad/jp)
Historical Evolution
贪
Oracle
(~1250-1000 BC)
贪
Seal
Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
贪
Seal
Shuowen (~100 AD)
贪
Clerical
Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
贪
Clerical
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
贪
Regular
Modern
Chinese
贪 / 貪 [tān]
to have a voracious desire for; to covet; greedy; corrupt
Japanese
noun
- coveting
- raga (desire) (usu. とん)
Korean
탐 [貪]
covetousness; avarice; greed; The desire to own something.
Example Sentences
CHINESE WORDS (44)
贪婪 [tānlán] #5,285
avaricious
贪污 [tānwū] #14,420
to be corrupt
贪心 [tānxīn] #12,431
greedy
贪官 [tānguān] #45,387
corrupt official
贪图 [tāntú] #25,024
to covet
贪吃 [tānchī] #21,729
gluttonous
贪得无厌 [tāndéwúyàn] #21,596
avaricious and insatiable (idiom); greedy and never satisfied
贪欲 [tānyù] #24,073
greed
贪玩 [tānwán] #23,592
to only want to have a good time
贪财 [tāncái] #36,618
to be greedy in getting money
34 more
items
JAPANESE WORDS (19)
⭐ 貪る [むさぼる] #9,408
to covet
⭐ 貪欲 [どんよく] #12,846
greedy
惰眠をむさぼる [だみんをむさぼる] #44,372
to sleep all day
貪り食う [むさぼりくう] #45,240
to eat greedily
貪り尽くす [むさぼりつくす] #62,280
to consume greedily
貪婪 [どんらん] #74,058
avarice
貪食 [どんしょく] #87,741
voracity
突慳貪 [つっけんどん] #121,905
blunt
貪り食らう [むさぼりくらう] #122,793
to devour greedily
むさぼり読む [むさぼりよむ] #144,079
to read avidly
9 more
items