Meaning
The kanji 抜 covers the meanings of pulling out, extracting, removing, surpassing, and selecting. Its most direct sense is physical: drawing something free from where it is embedded — a nail from wood, a hair from the scalp, a sword from its scabbard. From that concrete action, the meaning spreads outward. 抜 can describe passing all the way through something, escaping a confining situation, standing out conspicuously above others, or deliberately leaving something out of a set.
Structurally, 抜 is built from two parts. On the left is 扌, the hand radical — a compact, three-stroke form of 手 (hand). It signals immediately that the action involves the hands. The right-side component historically conveys the idea of something seized and drawn forcefully outward. The two elements together suggest a hand gripping something firmly and wrenching it free. This same logic runs through dozens of other 扌-radical kanji, so recognizing the radical is useful across a wide range of vocabulary.
In figurative use, 抜 takes on the sense of excelling above or surpassing a group — as though a person or thing has been physically pulled clear of the crowd to stand apart. This idea drives compounds like 抜群 (outstanding, unrivalled) and 選抜 (selection of the best). With only 7 strokes, 抜 is compact and approachable. It is taught at the junior high school level (中学校) in Japan and is essential for JLPT N2.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The main on'yomi reading is バツ. A secondary reading, ハツ, appears in a small number of specialized or literary terms. Both readings occur in compound words of Chinese origin (漢語) and tend to be most common in formal, academic, or written Japanese.
バツ is the reading you will encounter most often. It appears in compounds related to selection, excellence, and thoroughgoing action:
- 抜群 (batsugun) — outstanding, exceptional, head and shoulders above the rest
- 選抜 (senbatsu) — selection, screening; choosing the best from a group
- 抜粋 (bassui) — extract, excerpt; selected passages taken from a larger work
- 抜本 (bappon) — radical, drastic; literally "pulling out the root," used for fundamental reform
- 抜擢 (batteki) — special appointment or promotion; selecting someone for an important role
ハツ is considerably rarer and appears mainly in classical or literary vocabulary. For JLPT N2 preparation, the バツ reading and its common compounds are what matter most.
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi readings belong to the native Japanese verb system. They appear when 抜 is used as a standalone verb or as part of compound verbs (複合動詞). The core readings are ぬ(く) and ぬ(ける), with the less common ぬ(かす) and ぬ(かる) also listed.
ぬく is the transitive form — the subject deliberately pulls something out:
- 抜く (nuku) — to pull out, to extract, to draw (a weapon)
- 引き抜く (hikinuku) — to pull out forcibly; to headhunt or poach an employee
- 見抜く (minuku) — to see through; to perceive the hidden truth
ぬける is the intransitive counterpart — something falls out, passes through, or is absent on its own:
- 抜ける (nukeru) — to come out, to fall out, to pass through, to be missing
- 抜け道 (nukemichi) — bypass, shortcut, loophole
- 駆け抜ける (kakenukeru) — to run all the way through, to dash past
Common Words & Compounds
抜 combines freely with verbs and nouns to form a broad range of vocabulary. Below are key compounds grouped by meaning.
Excellence and Selection
- 抜群 (batsugun) — outstanding, unrivalled, peerless
- 選抜 (senbatsu) — selection, choice of the best; as in 選抜高校野球 (National High School Baseball Tournament)
- 抜擢 (batteki) — special promotion, appointment to an important position
Extraction and Removal
- 抜粋 (bassui) — extract, excerpt; selected passages
- 抜本 (bappon) — radical, fundamental (reform); pulling out the very root of a problem
- 引き抜く (hikinuku) — to pull out by force; to poach a worker
- 抜き取る (nukitoru) — to pull out and take; to selectively extract
Passing Through and Escaping
- 抜け出す (nukedasu) — to slip out of, to escape from
- 突き抜ける (tsukinukeru) — to pierce through, to break through to the other side
- 駆け抜ける (kakenukeru) — to run through at full speed
- 抜け道 (nukemichi) — a side road or bypass; a loophole in rules or law
Perception and Completion
- 見抜く (minuku) — to see through a lie or disguise; to discern what is hidden
- 読み抜く (yominuku) — to read all the way through; to read between the lines
- やり抜く (yarinuku) — to see something through to the end; to persevere
Example Sentences
歯医者が虫歯を抜いた。
Haisha ga mushiba wo nuita.
The dentist pulled out the decayed tooth.
彼女のピアノの実力は抜群だ。
Kanojo no piano no jitsuryoku wa batsugun da.
Her piano skills are outstanding.
代表チームへの選抜が発表された。
Daihyō chīmu e no senbatsu ga happyō sareta.
The selection for the national team was announced.
彼は会議の途中でこっそり抜け出した。
Kare wa kaigi no tochū de kossori nukedashita.
He quietly slipped out in the middle of the meeting.
刑事はすぐに犯人の嘘を見抜いた。
Keiji wa sugu ni hannin no uso wo minuita.
The detective immediately saw through the criminal's lie.
この文書から重要な部分を抜粋してください。
Kono bunsho kara jūyō na bubun wo bassui shite kudasai.
Please extract the important sections from this document.
政府は抜本的な改革を進めている。
Seifu wa bapponteki na kaikaku wo susumete iru.
The government is pushing forward with fundamental reforms.
彼は競合他社に引き抜かれてしまった。
Kare wa kyōgō tasha ni hikinukarete shimatta.
He ended up being poached by a rival company.
子供たちは笑いながら公園を駆け抜けた。
Kodomotachi wa warainagara kōen wo kakenuketa.
The children dashed through the park, laughing as they ran.
最後までやり抜く意志が大切だ。
Saigo made yarinuku ishi ga taisetsu da.
The will to see things through to the very end is what matters most.
Memory Tip
Picture a hand (扌) plunging into the earth and gripping a stubborn weed, then yanking it straight upward with full force — roots and all. That violent upward motion is the core of 抜: to pull out, to extract, to uproot.
When you encounter 抜群 (outstanding), imagine that same weed pulled so high it towers over everything around it — lifted clear of the ordinary and standing alone. For 見抜く (to see through), picture a determined hand reaching into a fog of confusion and dragging the hidden truth into the open. The 扌 radical ties it together: whenever you see a hand radical on the left, the action involves the hands — and with 抜, that hand is always pulling, freeing, or rising above.