Remove, Exclude

Interesting Fact

One of the most interesting words containing 除 is 除夜（じょや）, meaning New Year's Eve. The name comes from the idea of removing the old year's impurities and troubles before welcoming the new year. This connects to the Japanese tradition of 除夜の鐘（じょやのかね）, when Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times on New Year's Eve. The ringing is traditionally associated with clearing away the 108 earthly desires believed to cause human suffering.