平 — “flat / level” in Japanese

Grade 3へい, びょう, たい, ひら

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

“flat / level” in Japanese is 平, read hei, byou, tai (へい, びょう, たい, ひら). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 平和 (peace).

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What does 平 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	平
Meaning	flat / level
Readings	へい, びょう, たい, ひら
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	平和 (peace)

How to read 平

平 is read hei (へい) or byou (びょう) or tai (たい) or hira (ひら) depending on the word.

Words with 平

平年へいねん
平和へいわ
平安へいあん
平等
平均
平凡

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Kanji read the same way as 平

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28