側 — “side” in Japanese

Grade 4そく, かわ

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

“side” in Japanese is 側, read soku, kawa (そく, かわ). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 側面 (side / aspect).

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What does 側 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	側
Meaning	side
Readings	そく, かわ
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	側面 (side / aspect)

How to read 側

側 is read soku (そく) or kawa (かわ) depending on the word.

Words with 側

側面
裏側

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Kanji read the same way as 側

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Updated: 2026-08-28