併 — “Join / Get Together / Unite / Collective” in Japanese

Master (高手)へい, あわ

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

“Join / Get Together / Unite / Collective” in Japanese is 併, read hei, awa (へい, あわ). 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 合併 (merger).

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What does 併 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	併
Meaning	Join / Get Together / Unite / Collective
Readings	へい, あわ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	合併 (merger)

How to read 併

併 is read hei (へい) or awa (あわ) depending on the word.

Words with 併

合併

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Kanji read the same way as 併

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

Updated: 2026-08-28