冥 — “Dark” in Japanese

Master (高手)めい, みょう, くら

Radical ⼍ · radical 14 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Dark” in Japanese is 冥, read mei, myou, kura (めい, みょう, くら). 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 冥福 (repose of soul).

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What does 冥 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	冥
Meaning	Dark
Readings	めい, みょう, くら
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	冥福 (repose of soul)

How to read 冥

冥 is read mei (めい) or myou (みょう) or kura (くら) depending on the word.

Words with 冥

冥福

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Kanji read the same way as 冥

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

Updated: 2026-08-28