役 — “role / duty” in Japanese

Grade 3やく, えき

Radical ⼻ · radical 60 The building block this kanji is filed under

“role / duty” in Japanese is 役, read yaku, eki (やく, えき). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 役所 (government office).

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What does 役 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	役
Meaning	role / duty
Readings	やく, えき
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	役所 (government office)

How to read 役

役 is read yaku (やく) or eki (えき) depending on the word.

Words with 役

役立やくだ
役目やくめ
役割やくわり
役所
脇役

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Kanji read the same way as 役

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28