待 — “to wait” in Japanese

Grade 3たい, ま

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

“to wait” in Japanese is 待, read tai, ma (たい, ま). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 期待 (expectation).

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What does 待 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	待
Meaning	to wait
Readings	たい, ま
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	期待 (expectation)

How to read 待

待 is read tai (たい) or ma (ま) depending on the word.

Words with 待

期待きたい
招待
待遇
虐待

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Kanji read the same way as 待

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Updated: 2026-08-28