刑 — Punish / Penalty / Sentence / Punishment

Master (高手)けい

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

刑 (readings: けい; Japanese kanji) means “Punish / Penalty / Sentence / Punishment”. 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 刑罰 (penalty, punishment).

Try it now

What does 刑 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	刑
Meaning	Punish / Penalty / Sentence / Punishment
Readings	けい
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	刑罰 (penalty, punishment)

How to read 刑

刑 is read けい depending on the word.

Words with 刑

刑罰hình phạt

Learn 刑 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 — 1,026 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Updated: 2026-07-22