弱 — “weak” in Japanese

Grade 2じゃく, よわ

Radical ⼸ · radical 57 The building block this kanji is filed under

“weak” in Japanese is 弱, read jaku, yowa (じゃく, よわ). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 弱い (weak).

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What does 弱 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	弱
Meaning	weak
Readings	じゃく, よわ
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	弱い (weak)

How to read 弱

弱 is read jaku (じゃく) or yowa (よわ) depending on the word.

Words with 弱

脆弱性ぜいじゃくせい
弱いweak
薄弱

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Kanji read the same way as 弱

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Updated: 2026-08-28