妖 — Attractive / Bewitching / Calamity

Master (高手)よう, あや, なま, わざわ

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

妖 (readings: よう, あや, なま, わざわ; Japanese kanji) means “Attractive / Bewitching / Calamity”. 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 妖怪 (monster/specter).

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What does 妖 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	妖
Meaning	Attractive / Bewitching / Calamity
Readings	よう, あや, なま, わざわ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	妖怪 (monster/specter)

How to read 妖

妖 is read よう or あや or なま or わざわ depending on the word.

Words with 妖

妖怪yêu quái

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Updated: 2026-07-22