劣 — “Inferiority / Be Inferior To / Be Worse” in Japanese

Master (高手)れつ, おと

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

“Inferiority / Be Inferior To / Be Worse” in Japanese is 劣, read retsu, oto (れつ, おと). 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 劣等 (inferiority).

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What does 劣 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	劣
Meaning	Inferiority / Be Inferior To / Be Worse
Readings	れつ, おと
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	劣等 (inferiority)

How to read 劣

劣 is read retsu (れつ) or oto (おと) depending on the word.

Words with 劣

劣等

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Kanji read the same way as 劣

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

Updated: 2026-08-28