恥 — “Shame / Dishonor” in Japanese

Master (高手)ち, は, はじ

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

“Shame / Dishonor” in Japanese is 恥, read chi, ha, haji (ち, は, はじ). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 恥 (shame).

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What does 恥 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	恥
Meaning	Shame / Dishonor
Readings	ち, は, はじ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	恥 (shame)

How to read 恥

恥 is read chi (ち) or ha (は) or haji (はじ) depending on the word.

Words with 恥

羞恥
恥ずかしい

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Kanji read the same way as 恥

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

Updated: 2026-08-28