Explore 掘 in physical digging and in the discovery of hidden talent. Learn each reading with its word.
The idea
掘 has 11 strokes; follow the linked diagram. 掘る（ほる） is a verb meaning to dig; 発掘（はっくつ） is a noun used with する for excavation or discovery.
Examples
- 庭に穴を掘ります。I dig a hole in the garden.
- 犬が土を掘っています。The dog is digging in the soil.
- 子どもたちは砂浜で貝を掘りました。The children dug for shellfish on the beach.
- 工事で地面を深く掘りました。The ground was dug deep during the construction work.
- 遺跡の発掘が始まりました。Excavation of the archaeological site has begun.
- 新しい才能を発掘しました。We discovered new talent.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Japanese device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
Do not confuse 掘 with 堀, which means a moat or canal. 発掘 can also refer figuratively to finding talent, not only to digging up objects.
Try it yourself
Write the reading of 掘る in hiragana.
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ほる
掘る is ほる: for example, 庭に穴を掘る means to dig a hole in a garden.
Write the reading of 発掘 in hiragana.
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はっくつ
発掘 is はっくつ, with a small っ: 遺跡の発掘 means excavation of a site.
Choose the missing kanji: 発＿（はっくつ）［掘／堀］.
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掘
掘 completes 発掘（はっくつ）; 堀 is a different character used for a moat.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
Write the reading of 掘る in hiragana.
Write the reading of 発掘 in hiragana.
Choose the missing kanji: 発＿（はっくつ）［掘／堀］.
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 掘 in stroke order, then cover the examples and make a sentence with 掘る or 発掘する.