greed

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The on readings are どん and とん, and the kun reading is むさぼる. It has 11 strokes and relates to coveting or consuming something greedily.
• Basic usage: 貪る is read むさぼる, and 貪欲 is read どんよく.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 貪る / 貪欲
  • 貪る means to covet or to indulge in. It is a transitive verb read むさぼる. It means to covet or indulge greedily in wealth, food, rest, or something similar.
  • 物語の領主は富を貪り、倉を大きくした。 means “The lord in the story coveted wealth and enlarged his storehouse.”
  • 貪欲 means greedy or voracious. It is a noun or na-adjective read どんよく. It describes strong desire, negatively as greed or positively as eagerness for knowledge.
  • 物語の王は富に貪欲で民の声を聞かなかった。 means “The king in the story was greedy for wealth and ignored his people's voices.”