借 — “borrow” in Japanese

Grade 4しゃく, か

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

“borrow” in Japanese is 借, read shaku, ka (しゃく, か). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 借りる (to borrow).

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What does 借 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	借
Meaning	borrow
Readings	しゃく, か
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	借りる (to borrow)

How to read 借

借 is read shaku (しゃく) or ka (か) depending on the word.

Words with 借

借りるborrow

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Kanji read the same way as 借

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

Updated: 2026-08-28