学 — “study / learning” in Japanese

Grade 1がく, まな

Radical ⼦ · radical 39 The building block this kanji is filed under

“study / learning” in Japanese is 学, read gaku, mana (がく, まな). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 学校 (school).

Try it now

What does 学 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	学
Meaning	study / learning
Readings	がく, まな
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	学校 (school)

How to read 学

学 is read gaku (がく) or mana (まな) depending on the word.

Words with 学

学校がっこう
科学かがく
通学つうがく
医学いがく
学習がくしゅう
数学すうがく
科学者かがくしゃ
小学校しょうがっこう
学校中がっこうじゅう
中学校ちゅうがっこう

Learn 学 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 学

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28