害 — “harm / damage” in Japanese

Grade 4がい

Radical ⼧ · radical 40 The building block this kanji is filed under

“harm / damage” in Japanese is 害, read gai (がい). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 被害 (damage).

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What does 害 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	害
Meaning	harm / damage
Readings	がい
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	被害 (damage)

How to read 害

害 is read gai (がい) depending on the word.

Words with 害

被害ひがい
災害さいがい
有害ゆうがい
災害時さいがいじ
損害
障害
妨害
弊害

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Kanji read the same way as 害

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28