内 — “inside” in Japanese

Grade 2ない, だい, うち

Radical ⼌ · radical 13 The building block this kanji is filed under

“inside” in Japanese is 内, read nai, dai, uchi (ない, だい, うち). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 国内 (domestic).

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What does 内 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	内
Meaning	inside
Readings	ない, だい, うち
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	国内 (domestic)

How to read 内

内 is read nai (ない) or dai (だい) or uchi (うち) depending on the word.

Words with 内

都内とない
内部ないぶ
案内あんない
内閣府ないかくふ
東京都内とうきょうとない
町内
国内
内容
内閣
圏内

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Kanji read the same way as 内

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28