音読み: ロ
訓読み: つゆ
画数: 21
部首: 雨（あめかんむり）
Meaning
dew / expose / reveal
- 露 — dew
- 露出 — exposure; to reveal or show openly
- 暴露 — disclosure; to expose or bring hidden things to light
- 結露 — condensation; moisture forming on a cool surface
- 露骨 — frank; blunt; bare or obvious
- 露天 — open air (e.g., 露天風呂 — outdoor bath)
- 露店 — street stall; outdoor stand
With the rain radical on top, 露 began as the idea of moisture on the surface — dew. From “moisture appearing,” the sense extended to “to appear / be revealed,” and then to “expose (to view).”
Think of **露** as moisture that **shows** what’s there. On a road (路) at dawn, dew makes surfaces glisten — things are suddenly visible, exposed. That’s the leap from “dew” to “reveal / expose.”
Creates
露出 — exposure; “to show” or “to lay bare.”