深 expresses physical and figurative depth. Meet it in a river, sleep, understanding and a breath.
The idea
深 has 11 strokes; follow the linked diagram. 深い（ふかい） is an i-adjective; 深く（ふかく） modifies a verb. 深める（ふかめる） means to deepen something, while 深呼吸（しんこきゅう） uses the reading しん.
Examples
- この川は深いです。This river is deep.
- 山では雪が深いです。The snow is deep in the mountains.
- 昨夜は深く眠りました。I slept deeply last night.
- 話し合いで理解を深めました。The discussion deepened our understanding.
- 深呼吸をしてください。Please take a deep breath.
- ここから先は森が深くなります。The forest grows deeper beyond here.
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Watch out
Do not read every 深 as ふか: compounds such as 深呼吸 use しん. 深い describes a state; 深める describes making something deeper.
Try it yourself
Write the reading of 深い in hiragana.
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ふかい
深い is ふかい: the river is deep. The final い belongs to the adjective.
Write the reading of 深呼吸 in hiragana.
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しんこきゅう
深呼吸 is しんこきゅう, a deep breath. Learn the compound as a whole.
Choose the missing kanji: ＿める（ふかめる）［深／浅］.
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深
深 completes 深める（ふかめる）, to deepen something, as in deepening understanding.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
Write the reading of 深い in hiragana.
Write the reading of 深呼吸 in hiragana.
Choose the missing kanji: ＿める（ふかめる）［深／浅］.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write 深 following the diagram. Read the example sentences aloud, then make a sentence with 深い and one with 深める.