惜 — “Pity / Be Sparing Of / Frugal / Stingy” in Japanese

Master (高手)せき, お

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

“Pity / Be Sparing Of / Frugal / Stingy” in Japanese is 惜, read seki, o (せき, お). 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 惜しい (regrettable).

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What does 惜 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	惜
Meaning	Pity / Be Sparing Of / Frugal / Stingy
Readings	せき, お
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	惜しい (regrettable)

How to read 惜

惜 is read seki (せき) or o (お) depending on the word.

Words with 惜

惜しい

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Kanji read the same way as 惜

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

Updated: 2026-08-28