哺 — “Nurse / Suckle” in Japanese

Master (高手)ほ, はぐく, ふく

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

“Nurse / Suckle” in Japanese is 哺, read ho, haguku, fuku (ほ, はぐく, ふく). 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 哺乳 (suckling).

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What does 哺 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	哺
Meaning	Nurse / Suckle
Readings	ほ, はぐく, ふく
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	哺乳 (suckling)

How to read 哺

哺 is read ho (ほ) or haguku (はぐく) or fuku (ふく) depending on the word.

Words with 哺

哺乳

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Kanji read the same way as 哺

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

Updated: 2026-08-28