奥 — “Heart / Interior” in Japanese

Master (高手)おう, おく, くま

Radical ⼤ · radical 37 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Heart / Interior” in Japanese is 奥, read ou, oku, kuma (おう, おく, くま). 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 奥深い (profound).

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What does 奥 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	奥
Meaning	Heart / Interior
Readings	おう, おく, くま
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	奥深い (profound)

How to read 奥

奥 is read ou (おう) or oku (おく) or kuma (くま) depending on the word.

Words with 奥

奥深い

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Kanji read the same way as 奥

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

Updated: 2026-08-28