亀 — “Tortoise / Turtle” in Japanese

Master (高手)き, きゅう, きん, かめ

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

“Tortoise / Turtle” in Japanese is 亀, read ki, kyuu, kin (き, きゅう, きん, かめ). 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 亀 (turtle).

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What does 亀 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	亀
Meaning	Tortoise / Turtle
Readings	き, きゅう, きん, かめ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	亀 (turtle)

How to read 亀

亀 is read ki (き) or kyuu (きゅう) or kin (きん) or kame (かめ) depending on the word.

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Kanji read the same way as 亀

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

Updated: 2026-08-28