拙 — “Bungling / Clumsy / Unskillful” in Japanese

Master (高手)せつ, つたな

Radical ⼿ · radical 64 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Bungling / Clumsy / Unskillful” in Japanese is 拙, read setsu, tsutana (せつ, つたな). 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 稚拙 (clumsy).

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What does 拙 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	拙
Meaning	Bungling / Clumsy / Unskillful
Readings	せつ, つたな
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	稚拙 (clumsy)

How to read 拙

拙 is read setsu (せつ) or tsutana (つたな) depending on the word.

Words with 拙

稚拙

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Kanji read the same way as 拙

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

Updated: 2026-08-28