吉 — “Good Luck / Joy / Congratulations” in Japanese

Master (高手)きち, きつ, よし

Radical ⼝ · radical 30 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Good Luck / Joy / Congratulations” in Japanese is 吉, read kichi, kitsu, yoshi (きち, きつ, よし). 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 吉日 (lucky day).

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What does 吉 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	吉
Meaning	Good Luck / Joy / Congratulations
Readings	きち, きつ, よし
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	吉日 (lucky day)

How to read 吉

吉 is read kichi (きち) or kitsu (きつ) or yoshi (よし) depending on the word.

Words with 吉

吉日
吉祥

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Kanji read the same way as 吉

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

由よし reason / cause

Updated: 2026-08-28