屈 — “Yield / Bend / Flinch / Submit” in Japanese

Master (高手)くつ, かが

Radical ⼫ · radical 44 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Yield / Bend / Flinch / Submit” in Japanese is 屈, read kutsu, kaga (くつ, かが). 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 屈折 (refraction).

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What does 屈 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	屈
Meaning	Yield / Bend / Flinch / Submit
Readings	くつ, かが
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	屈折 (refraction)

How to read 屈

屈 is read kutsu (くつ) or kaga (かが) depending on the word.

Words with 屈

屈指くっし
屈折

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Updated: 2026-08-28