勾 — “Be Bent / Slope / Capture” in Japanese

Master (高手)こう, く, かぎ, ま

Radical ⼓ · radical 20 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Be Bent / Slope / Capture” in Japanese is 勾, read kou, ku, kagi (こう, く, かぎ, ま). 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 勾配 (slope).

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What does 勾 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	勾
Meaning	Be Bent / Slope / Capture
Readings	こう, く, かぎ, ま
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	勾配 (slope)

How to read 勾

勾 is read kou (こう) or ku (く) or kagi (かぎ) or ma (ま) depending on the word.

Words with 勾

勾配

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Kanji read the same way as 勾

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

Updated: 2026-08-28