励 — “Encourage / Be Diligent / Inspire” in Japanese

Master (高手)れい, はげ

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

“Encourage / Be Diligent / Inspire” in Japanese is 励, read rei, hage (れい, はげ). 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 励む (strive).

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What does 励 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	励
Meaning	Encourage / Be Diligent / Inspire
Readings	れい, はげ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	励む (strive)

How to read 励

励 is read rei (れい) or hage (はげ) depending on the word.

Words with 励

励む

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Kanji read the same way as 励

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

Updated: 2026-08-28