困 — “difficulty / trouble” in Japanese

Grade 6こん, こま

Radical ⼞ · radical 31 The building block this kanji is filed under

“difficulty / trouble” in Japanese is 困, read kon, koma (こん, こま). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 困難 (difficulty).

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What does 困 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	困
Meaning	difficulty / trouble
Readings	こん, こま
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	困難 (difficulty)

How to read 困

困 is read kon (こん) or koma (こま) depending on the word.

Words with 困

貧困
困難

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Kanji read the same way as 困

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

Updated: 2026-08-28