音読み: カイ・ゲ
訓読み: とく・とける
画数: 13
部首: 角（つのへん）
Meaning
Untie / Solve / Understand / Explain
- 解く — to solve; to untie; to explain
- 解く — solve; untie / base form
- 解きます — solves; unties / masu form
- 解いた — solved; untied / ta-form
- 解いて — solve and … / te-form
- 解かない — do not solve / negative
- 解けば — if (you) solve / conditional
- Common expressions
- 問題を解く — to solve a problem
- 結び目を解く — to untie a knot
解く（とく） is a godan verb. It means actively solving, explaining, or undoing something.
- 解ける — to be solved; to come undone
- 解ける — be solved; come undone / base form
- 解けます — is solved / masu form
- 解けた — was solved; came undone / ta-form
- 解けて — being solved and … / te-form
- 解けない — cannot be solved / negative
- 解ければ — if it is solved / conditional
- Common expressions
- 謎が解ける — a mystery is solved
- 雪が解ける — snow melts
解ける（とける） is an ichidan verb. It describes something becoming solved or undone naturally — the intransitive counterpart of 解く.
- 理解 — understanding
- 解決 — resolution; solution
- 解釈 — interpretation
- 解散 — dissolution; breakup
- 解説 — explanation
- 解放 — release; liberation
More examples ▼
解 is a 形声文字 (semantic–phonetic compound). The radical 角 (horn) plus 刀 (sword) originally suggested cutting apart a horn — symbolizing untying. From this, the meanings “untie,” “solve,” and “explain” developed.
この問題を 解いてください。
Please solve this problem.
その言葉の 意味が 理解できました。
I understood the meaning of the word.
理解 — understanding