削 — “Plane / Sharpen / Whittle / Pare” in Japanese

Master (高手)さく, けず, はつ, そ

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

“Plane / Sharpen / Whittle / Pare” in Japanese is 削, read saku, kezu, hatsu (さく, けず, はつ, そ). 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 削除 (deletion).

Try it now

What does 削 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	削
Meaning	Plane / Sharpen / Whittle / Pare
Readings	さく, けず, はつ, そ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	削除 (deletion)

How to read 削

削 is read saku (さく) or kezu (けず) or hatsu (はつ) or so (そ) depending on the word.

Words with 削

削除

Learn 削 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 削

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

Updated: 2026-08-28