憬 — “Yearn For / Aspire To / Admire” in Japanese

Master (高手)けい, あこが

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

“Yearn For / Aspire To / Admire” in Japanese is 憬, read kei, akoga (けい, あこが). 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 憧憬 (yearning / longing).

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What does 憬 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	憬
Meaning	Yearn For / Aspire To / Admire
Readings	けい, あこが
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	憧憬 (yearning / longing)

How to read 憬

憬 is read kei (けい) or akoga (あこが) depending on the word.

Words with 憬

憧憬

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Kanji read the same way as 憬

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

Updated: 2026-08-28