恩 — “kindness / gratitude” in Japanese

Grade 6おん

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

“kindness / gratitude” in Japanese is 恩, read on (おん). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 恩人 (benefactor).

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What does 恩 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	恩
Meaning	kindness / gratitude
Readings	おん
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	恩人 (benefactor)

How to read 恩

恩 is read on (おん) depending on the word.

Words with 恩

恩人
恩赦

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Kanji read the same way as 恩

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

Updated: 2026-08-28