妄 — “Delusion / Unnecessarily / Without Authority / Reckless” in Japanese

Master (高手)もう, ぼう, みだ

Radical ⼥ · radical 38 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Delusion / Unnecessarily / Without Authority / Reckless” in Japanese is 妄, read mou, bou, mida (もう, ぼう, みだ). 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 妄想 (delusion).

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What does 妄 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	妄
Meaning	Delusion / Unnecessarily / Without Authority / Reckless
Readings	もう, ぼう, みだ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	妄想 (delusion)

How to read 妄

妄 is read mou (もう) or bou (ぼう) or mida (みだ) depending on the word.

Words with 妄

妄想

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Kanji read the same way as 妄

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

Updated: 2026-08-28