冶 — “Melting / Smelting” in Japanese

Master (高手)や, い

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

“Melting / Smelting” in Japanese is 冶, read ya, i (や, い). 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 冶金 (metallurgy).

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What does 冶 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	冶
Meaning	Melting / Smelting
Readings	や, い
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	冶金 (metallurgy)

How to read 冶

冶 is read ya (や) or i (い) depending on the word.

Words with 冶

冶金

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Updated: 2026-08-28