乙 — “The Latter / Duplicate / Strange / Witty” in Japanese

Master (高手)おつ, いつ, おと-, きのと

Radical ⼄ · radical 5 The building block this kanji is filed under

“The Latter / Duplicate / Strange / Witty” in Japanese is 乙, read otsu, itsu, oto (おつ, いつ, おと-, きのと). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 乙女 (maiden).

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What does 乙 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	乙
Meaning	The Latter / Duplicate / Strange / Witty
Readings	おつ, いつ, おと-, きのと
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	乙女 (maiden)

How to read 乙

乙 is read otsu (おつ) or itsu (いつ) or oto (おと-) or kinoto (きのと) depending on the word.

Words with 乙

甲乙
乙女

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Kanji read the same way as 乙

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28