憎 — “Hate / Detest” in Japanese

Master (高手)ぞう, にく

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

“Hate / Detest” in Japanese is 憎, read zou, niku (ぞう, にく). 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 憎む (to hate).

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What does 憎 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	憎
Meaning	Hate / Detest
Readings	ぞう, にく
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	憎む (to hate)

How to read 憎

憎 is read zou (ぞう) or niku (にく) depending on the word.

Words with 憎

憎む

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Kanji read the same way as 憎

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

Updated: 2026-08-28