善 — “good / virtuous” in Japanese

Grade 6ぜん, よ

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

“good / virtuous” in Japanese is 善, read zen, yo (ぜん, よ). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 善意 (goodwill).

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What does 善 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	善
Meaning	good / virtuous
Readings	ぜん, よ
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	善意 (goodwill)

How to read 善

善 is read zen (ぜん) or yo (よ) depending on the word.

Words with 善

改善
善意

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Kanji read the same way as 善

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

Updated: 2026-08-28