体 — “body” in Japanese

Grade 2たい, てい, からだ

Radical ⼈ · radical 9 The building block this kanji is filed under

“body” in Japanese is 体, read tai, tei, karada (たい, てい, からだ). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 体育 (physical education).

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What does 体 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	体
Meaning	body
Readings	たい, てい, からだ
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	体育 (physical education)

How to read 体

体 is read tai (たい) or tei (てい) or karada (からだ) depending on the word.

Words with 体

全体ぜんたい
個体こたい
団体だんたい
幼体ようたい
気体きたい
液体えきたい
体力たいりょく
体育たいいく
体調たいちょう
正体しょうたい

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Kanji read the same way as 体

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28