Meaning

Primary

Drying Up

Alternatives

Depletion, Exhaustion

Word Type

noun, verbal noun

Explanation

Something that will wither and dry up ends up doing exactly that, drying up. And as it dries up, there's less and less of it until there's nothing left. This is called depletion!

This word is often used to describe situations where natural resources are getting used up and running out.

Reading

こかつ
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

This is a jukugo word that uses the on'yomi readings of the kanji. You didn't learn this reading for yet, so here's a mnemonic to help you:

If all of your plants are drying up you should just give them to your cats (かつ). Cats love to play with dried up plants. At least they won't go to waste.

Context

Context Sentences

もうすぐ石油は枯渇する。

The petroleum will dry up very soon.

Kanji Composition