対 — “opposite / pair” in Japanese

Grade 3たい, つい

Radical ⼨ · radical 41 The building block this kanji is filed under

“opposite / pair” in Japanese is 対, read tai, tsui (たい, つい). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 反対 (opposition).

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What does 対 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	対
Meaning	opposite / pair
Readings	たい, つい
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	反対 (opposition)

How to read 対

対 is read tai (たい) or tsui (つい) depending on the word.

Words with 対

対象たいしょう
反対はんたい
対戦たいせん
対策たいさく
三対一さんたいいち
一対一いちたいいち
対照
絶対
敵対

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Kanji read the same way as 対

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28