媒 — “Mediator / Go-between” in Japanese

Master (高手)ばい, なこうど

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

“Mediator / Go-between” in Japanese is 媒, read bai, nakoudo (ばい, なこうど). 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 媒体 (medium).

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What does 媒 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	媒
Meaning	Mediator / Go-between
Readings	ばい, なこうど
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	媒体 (medium)

How to read 媒

媒 is read bai (ばい) or nakoudo (なこうど) depending on the word.

Words with 媒

媒体

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Kanji read the same way as 媒

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

Updated: 2026-08-28