冬 — “winter” in Japanese

Grade 2とう, ふゆ

Radical ⼎ · radical 15 The building block this kanji is filed under

“winter” in Japanese is 冬, read tou, fuyu (とう, ふゆ). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 冬休み (winter vacation).

Try it now

What does 冬 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	冬
Meaning	winter
Readings	とう, ふゆ
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	冬休み (winter vacation)

How to read 冬

冬 is read tou (とう) or fuyu (ふゆ) depending on the word.

Words with 冬

冬休み

Learn 冬 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 冬

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28