冷 — “cold / cool” in Japanese

Grade 4れい, ひ, さ, つめ

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

“cold / cool” in Japanese is 冷, read rei, hi, sa (れい, ひ, さ, つめ). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 冷蔵庫 (refrigerator).

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What does 冷 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	冷
Meaning	cold / cool
Readings	れい, ひ, さ, つめ
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	冷蔵庫 (refrigerator)

How to read 冷

冷 is read rei (れい) or hi (ひ) or sa (さ) or tsume (つめ) depending on the word.

Words with 冷

冷蔵庫れいぞうこ
冷房
冷凍

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Kanji read the same way as 冷

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28