干 — “to dry” in Japanese

Grade 6かん, ひ

Radical ⼲ · radical 51 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to dry” in Japanese is 干, read kan, hi (かん, ひ). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 干潮 (low tide).

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What does 干 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	干
Meaning	to dry
Readings	かん, ひ
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	干潮 (low tide)

How to read 干

干 is read kan (かん) or hi (ひ) depending on the word.

Words with 干

干潮

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Kanji read the same way as 干

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

Updated: 2026-08-28