Meaning
濃 covers one core idea: intensity. Dark coffee, ink-black calligraphy, fog you can't see through, a salt solution near its limit — this kanji appears wherever something is denser, darker, or richer than ordinary. It marks anything pushed past the baseline into something more concentrated.
Two components build the character: 氵 (sanzui, water) on the left, and 農 (のう, farming) on the right. The water radical points to liquid — a broth boiled down to half its volume, a pot of dark dye, tea left steeping too long. 農 adds a sense of abundance and weight, something heavy with substance. Together they sketch a thick, richly reduced liquid.
At 16 strokes, 濃 ranks as moderately complex. A Jōyō kanji taught at secondary-school level in Japan, it appears on the JLPT N3 exam. Expect to meet it on food packaging, in weather forecasts, in science class, and in casual conversation about flavor, color, or fog.
In daily speech, 濃い (koi) is the go-to form — a standard い-adjective covering everything from bold-flavored food to deeply colored fabric.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
ノウ (NOU) is the on'yomi. It appears almost exclusively in compound words (熟語 jukugo) — formal, scientific, and culinary vocabulary. Spot 濃 paired with another kanji, and ノウ is almost always the reading.
- 濃度 (noudo) — concentration, density; used in chemistry and medicine, and on product labels showing alcohol or sugar content
- 濃縮 (noushuku) — concentrated, condensed; you'll see this on bottles of 濃縮ジュース (concentrated juice) at the supermarket
- 濃厚 (noukou) — rich, full-bodied; used for creamy soups and sauces, and figuratively for a "strong likelihood" in news reporting
- 濃淡 (noutan) — gradation of light and shade; a key term in art, calligraphy, and design
- 濃霧 (noumu) — dense fog; standard weather forecast vocabulary
- 濃密 (noumitsu) — dense, packed; describes tightly concentrated content or close relationships
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
こ.い (koi) gives us 濃い — the conversational form of this kanji. It conjugates like any い-adjective: 濃くなる (grow darker/stronger), 濃くない (not thick), 濃かった (was thick).
- 濃い (koi) — thick, dark, strong; the base adjective for coffee, tea, colors, fog, and more
- 色濃い (irokoi) — deeply colored; also used metaphorically for something strongly tinged by a quality or influence
- 濃い口 (koikuchi) — dark soy sauce; the robust variety, as opposed to 薄口 (light soy sauce)
- 濃緑 (komidori) — deep green; a rich, saturated green
Common Words & Compounds
濃 turns up in surprisingly varied vocabulary. Here are the most useful compounds by theme.
Food & Flavor
- 濃い (koi) — strong, thick (coffee, tea, flavors)
- 濃厚 (noukou) — rich, full-bodied (soups, sauces, cream, wine)
- 濃縮 (noushuku) — concentrated (juice, broth, extracts)
- 濃い口醤油 (koikuchi shouyu) — dark soy sauce
Weather & Nature
- 濃霧 (noumu) — dense fog (weather forecast terminology)
- 濃緑 (komidori) — deep green (lush summer foliage)
- 濃い雲 (koi kumo) — thick, dark clouds
Color, Art & Design
- 濃淡 (noutan) — gradation of light and dark, shading
- 濃紺 (noukon) — deep navy blue
- 濃紫 (komurasaki) — deep purple
- 濃い色 (koi iro) — deep, dark color
Science & Technical
- 濃度 (noudo) — concentration, density (chemistry, medicine)
- 濃密 (noumitsu) — dense, compact, closely packed
Figurative & Idiomatic
- 色濃い (irokoi) — strongly tinged with, heavily influenced by
- 濃厚 (noukou) — highly probable, strong likelihood (used in news reporting)
Example Sentences
このコーヒーは濃いですね。
Kono koohii wa koi desu ne.
This coffee is strong, isn't it.
今朝は濃霧で前が見えなかった。
Kesa wa noumu de mae ga mienakatta.
This morning there was dense fog and I couldn't see ahead.
色が濃いセーターより、薄いものが好きです。
Iro ga koi seetaa yori, usui mono ga suki desu.
I prefer lighter-colored sweaters over dark ones.
濃縮ジュースは水で薄めてから飲んでください。
Noushuku juusu wa mizu de usumete kara nonde kudasai.
Please dilute the concentrated juice with water before drinking.
このスープは濃厚で、体が温まる。
Kono suupu wa noukou de, karada ga atatamaru.
This soup is rich and warms the body.
血液の濃度を調べるために検査を受けた。
Ketsueki no noudo wo shiraberu tame ni kensa wo uketa.
I had a medical test done to check my blood concentration levels.
彼の文章には昭和の雰囲気が色濃く残っている。
Kare no bunshou ni wa Shouwa no fun'iki ga irokoku nokotte iru.
His writing is strongly tinged with the atmosphere of the Showa era.
春になると山は濃緑に覆われ、とても美しい。
Haru ni naru to yama wa komidori ni ooware, totemo utsukushii.
When spring arrives, the mountains are blanketed in deep green and look beautiful.
彼女は濃い口紅をつけていて、印象が強かった。
Kanojo wa koi kuchibeni wo tsukete ite, inshou ga tsuyokatta.
She was wearing dark lipstick and made a strong impression.
Memory Tip
Left side: 氵 (water). Right side: 農 (farming). Picture a farmer simmering vegetable broth all day — reducing it down until the liquid turns thick, dark, intensely flavored. That condensed essence is what 濃 means. One spoonful coats your tongue. Rich farmer's broth: 濃い！