The Kanji: 濫 (Ran)
The kanji 濫 (read as ran) carries the core meaning of "overflow," "excess," or "indiscriminate." It is composed of the water radical (氵) on the left and 監 (to oversee) on the right, creating the image of water that has overspilled its boundaries and is no longer controlled. This character implies a negative state of being unrestrained, excessive, or done without proper selection.
Common Words & Example Sentences
1. 氾濫 (hanran)
Meaning: Flooding; inundation (of a river).
Example Sentence: 大雨で川が氾濫した。
(Ōame de kawa ga hanran shita.)
"The river flooded due to the heavy rain."
2. 濫用 (ran'yō)
Meaning: Abuse; misuse (of power, authority, or resources).
Example Sentence: 権力の濫用は許されない。
(Kenryoku no ran'yō wa yurusarenai.)
"The abuse of power is unforgivable."
3. 濫獲 (rankaku)
Meaning: Overhunting; excessive harvesting.
Example Sentence: 鯨の濫獲が問題になっている。
(Kujira no rankaku ga mondai ni natte iru.)
"The overhunting of whales is a problem."
4. 粗製濫造 (sosei ranzō)
Meaning: Mass-production of cheap, low-quality goods.
Example Sentence: その工場は粗製濫造で知られている。
(Sono kōjō wa sosei ranzō de shirarete iru.)
"That factory is known for the shoddy mass-production of goods."
In summary, 濫 is a kanji with a negative connotation, representing excess and lack of control. It is used to describe natural disasters like flooding (氾濫), the misuse of power (濫用), over-exploitation of resources (濫獲), and the production of poor-quality items (粗製濫造).