嫡 — “Legitimate Wife / Direct Descent (non-bastard)” in Japanese

Master (高手)ちゃく, てき

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

“Legitimate Wife / Direct Descent (non-bastard)” in Japanese is 嫡, read chaku, teki (ちゃく, てき). 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 嫡子 (legitimate child).

Try it now

What does 嫡 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	嫡
Meaning	Legitimate Wife / Direct Descent (non-bastard)
Readings	ちゃく, てき
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	嫡子 (legitimate child)

How to read 嫡

嫡 is read chaku (ちゃく) or teki (てき) depending on the word.

Words with 嫡

嫡子

Learn 嫡 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 嫡

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

Updated: 2026-08-28