勾 — Be Bent / Slope / Capture

Master (高手)こう, く, かぎ, ま

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

勾 (readings: こう, く, かぎ, ま; Japanese kanji) means “Be Bent / Slope / Capture”. 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 こう or く or かぎ or ま depending on the word.

Words with 勾

勾配độ dốc

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Updated: 2026-07-22