乞 — Beg / Invite / Ask

Master (高手)こつ, きつ, き, きけ, こち, こ

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

乞 (readings: こつ, きつ, き, きけ, こち, こ; Japanese kanji) means “Beg / Invite / Ask”. 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 乞食 (beggar).

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What does 乞 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	乞
Meaning	Beg / Invite / Ask
Readings	こつ, きつ, き, きけ, こち, こ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	乞食 (beggar)

How to read 乞

乞 is read こつ or きつ or き or きけ or こち or こ depending on the word.

Words with 乞

乞食ăn xin / hành khất

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Updated: 2026-07-22