克 — Overcome / Kindly / Skillfully

Master (高手)こく, か

Radical ⼉ · radical 10 The building block this kanji is filed under

克 (readings: こく, か; Japanese kanji) means “Overcome / Kindly / Skillfully”. 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 克服 (overcoming).

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What does 克 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	克
Meaning	Overcome / Kindly / Skillfully
Readings	こく, か
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	克服 (overcoming)

How to read 克

克 is read こく or か depending on the word.

Words with 克

克服khắc phục

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Updated: 2026-07-22