忘 — “to forget” in Japanese

Grade 6ぼう, わす

Radical ⼼ · radical 61 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to forget” in Japanese is 忘, read bou, wasu (ぼう, わす). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 忘年会 (year-end party).

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What does 忘 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	忘
Meaning	to forget
Readings	ぼう, わす
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	忘年会 (year-end party)

How to read 忘

忘 is read bou (ぼう) or wasu (わす) depending on the word.

Words with 忘

忘年会

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Kanji read the same way as 忘

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28