卑 — Lowly / Base / Vile / Vulgar

Master (高手)ひ, いや

Radical ⼗ · radical 24 The building block this kanji is filed under

卑 (readings: ひ, いや; Japanese kanji) means “Lowly / Base / Vile / Vulgar”. 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 卑怯 (cowardly).

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What does 卑 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	卑
Meaning	Lowly / Base / Vile / Vulgar
Readings	ひ, いや
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	卑怯 (cowardly)

How to read 卑

卑 is read ひ or いや depending on the word.

Words with 卑

卑怯hèn nhát

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Updated: 2026-07-22