切 — “to cut / important” in Japanese

Grade 2せつ, さい, き

Radical ⼑ · radical 18 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to cut / important” in Japanese is 切, read setsu, sai, ki (せつ, さい, き). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 大切 (important).

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What does 切 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	切
Meaning	to cut / important
Readings	せつ, さい, き
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	大切 (important)

How to read 切

切 is read setsu (せつ) or sai (さい) or ki (き) depending on the word.

Words with 切

大切たいせつ
親切しんせつ
適切
切符

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Kanji read the same way as 切

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28