悲 — “sad” in Japanese

Grade 3ひ, かな

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

“sad” in Japanese is 悲, read hi, kana (ひ, かな). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 悲しい (sad).

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What does 悲 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	悲
Meaning	sad
Readings	ひ, かな
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	悲しい (sad)

How to read 悲

悲 is read hi (ひ) or kana (かな) depending on the word.

Words with 悲

悲惨
慈悲
悲しいsad

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Kanji read the same way as 悲

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

奏かな to play music / to report to a ruler

Read this character in a real sentence

🎋 七夕につたわる伝説 Grade 4

Updated: 2026-08-28