惨 — “Wretched / Disaster / Cruelty / Harsh” in Japanese

Master (高手)さん, ざん, みじ, いた, むご

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

“Wretched / Disaster / Cruelty / Harsh” in Japanese is 惨, read san, zan, miji (さん, ざん, みじ, いた, むご). 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 悲惨 (tragic).

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What does 惨 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	惨
Meaning	Wretched / Disaster / Cruelty / Harsh
Readings	さん, ざん, みじ, いた, むご
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	悲惨 (tragic)

How to read 惨

惨 is read san (さん) or zan (ざん) or miji (みじ) or ita (いた) or mugo (むご) depending on the word.

Words with 惨

悲惨
凄惨

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Kanji read the same way as 惨

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

Updated: 2026-08-28