Meet 抜 in actions that remove something or pass through a space. Learn each reading with a whole word.

The idea

抜 has 7 strokes. 抜く（ぬく） is transitive: mark what is removed with を. 抜ける（ぬける） is intransitive: a tooth or air can come out, marked by が; a cat can pass through a gap marked by を.

Patterns to compare
WordReadingExample
抜くぬくI pulled a weed out of the garden.
抜けるぬけるA tooth came out.
抜けるぬけるThe cat slipped out through the gap.
抜くぬくI skipped breakfast today.

Examples

  • 庭にわの草くさを抜ぬきました。I pulled a weed out of the garden.
  • 歯はが抜ぬけました。A tooth came out.
  • 猫ねこが隙間すきまを抜ぬけました。The cat slipped out through the gap.
  • 電源でんげんコードを抜ぬいてください。Please unplug the power cord.
  • ボールの空気くうきが抜ぬけました。The air has escaped from the ball.
  • 今日きょうは朝あさご飯はんを抜ぬきました。I skipped breakfast today.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Do not assume 抜く and 抜ける are interchangeable. 朝ご飯を抜く means skipping breakfast, not physically pulling it out.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 抜く in hiragana.

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    ぬく

    抜く is read ぬく; it can describe pulling out a weed.

  2. Write the reading of 抜ける in hiragana.

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    ぬける

    抜ける is read ぬける; a tooth can come out on its own.

  3. Choose the verb: 歯が＿ました。［抜き／抜け］

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    抜け

    抜け completes 歯が抜けました: the tooth came out, so the intransitive form fits.

Use it today

Follow the linked stroke diagram to write 抜, then cover the examples and make one sentence with each verb.