乙 — The Latter / Duplicate / Strange / Witty

Master (高手)おつ, いつ, おと-, きのと

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

乙 (readings: おつ, いつ, おと-, きのと; Japanese kanji) means “The Latter / Duplicate / Strange / Witty”. 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 おつ or いつ or おと- or きのと depending on the word.

Words with 乙

甲乙giáp ất, hơn kém
乙女thiếu nữ

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Updated: 2026-07-22