功 — “merit / achievement” in Japanese

Grade 4こう, く

Radical ⼒ · radical 19 The building block this kanji is filed under

“merit / achievement” in Japanese is 功, read kou, ku (こう, く). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 成功 (success).

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What does 功 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	功
Meaning	merit / achievement
Readings	こう, く
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	成功 (success)

How to read 功

功 is read kou (こう) or ku (く) depending on the word.

Words with 功

成功せいこう

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Kanji read the same way as 功

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Updated: 2026-08-28