備 — “prepare / equip” in Japanese

Grade 5び, そな

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

“prepare / equip” in Japanese is 備, read bi, sona (び, そな). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 準備 (preparation).

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What does 備 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	備
Meaning	prepare / equip
Readings	び, そな
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	準備 (preparation)

How to read 備

備 is read bi (び) or sona (そな) depending on the word.

Words with 備

守備しゅび
準備じゅんび
準備運動じゅんびうんどう
設備

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Updated: 2026-08-28