戒 — “Commandment” in Japanese

Master (高手)かい, いまし

Radical ⼽ · radical 62 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Commandment” in Japanese is 戒, read kai, imashi (かい, いまし). 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 警戒 (vigilance).

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What does 戒 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	戒
Meaning	Commandment
Readings	かい, いまし
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	警戒 (vigilance)

How to read 戒

戒 is read kai (かい) or imashi (いまし) depending on the word.

Words with 戒

警戒けいかい
警戒水位けいかいすいい

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Kanji read the same way as 戒

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

Updated: 2026-08-28