却 — “Instead / On The Contrary / Rather / Step Back” in Japanese

Master (高手)きゃく, かえ, しりぞ

Radical ⼙ · radical 26 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Instead / On The Contrary / Rather / Step Back” in Japanese is 却, read kyaku, kae, shirizo (きゃく, かえ, しりぞ). 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 却下 (rejection).

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What does 却 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	却
Meaning	Instead / On The Contrary / Rather / Step Back
Readings	きゃく, かえ, しりぞ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	却下 (rejection)

How to read 却

却 is read kyaku (きゃく) or kae (かえ) or shirizo (しりぞ) depending on the word.

Words with 却

却下

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Kanji read the same way as 却

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

Updated: 2026-08-28