悔 — “Repent / Regret” in Japanese

Master (高手)かい, く, くや

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

“Repent / Regret” in Japanese is 悔, read kai, ku, kuya (かい, く, くや). 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 後悔 (regret).

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What does 悔 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	悔
Meaning	Repent / Regret
Readings	かい, く, くや
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	後悔 (regret)

How to read 悔

悔 is read kai (かい) or ku (く) or kuya (くや) depending on the word.

Words with 悔

後悔

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Kanji read the same way as 悔

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

Updated: 2026-08-28