secrete

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 泌 has 8 strokes and appears in words concerning secretion and the urinary system.
• Basic usage: 分泌 is read ぶんぴつ, and 泌尿器 is read ひにょうき.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Readings depend on the word
  • The 泌 part is ぴつ in 分泌 and ひ in 泌尿器. One reading does not apply unchanged to both words.
• What secretes and what is secreted
  • In 白い液を分泌する, a plant secretes a white liquid.
  • 唾液が口の中で分泌される uses the passive to describe saliva being secreted.