坂 — “slope / hill” in Japanese

Grade 3はん, さか

Radical ⼟ · radical 32 The building block this kanji is filed under

“slope / hill” in Japanese is 坂, read han, saka (はん, さか). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 坂道 (sloping road).

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What does 坂 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	坂
Meaning	slope / hill
Readings	はん, さか
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	坂道 (sloping road)

How to read 坂

坂 is read han (はん) or saka (さか) depending on the word.

Words with 坂

坂道

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Kanji read the same way as 坂

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28