fungus

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 菌 is read きん, has 11 strokes, and relates to fungi or bacteria.
• Basic usage: 細菌 is read さいきん, and 殺菌 is read さっきん.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 細菌 and 殺菌
  • 細菌 means bacterium or bacteria.
  • 顕微鏡で細菌の形を観察した。 means “We observed the shapes of bacteria through a microscope.”
  • 殺菌 means sterilization.
  • 瓶を熱湯で殺菌してから果物を詰めた。 means “I sterilized the jar in boiling water before filling it with fruit.”