拷 — “Torture / Beat” in Japanese

Master (高手)ごう

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

“Torture / Beat” in Japanese is 拷, read gou (ごう). 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 拷問 (torture).

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What does 拷 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	拷
Meaning	Torture / Beat
Readings	ごう
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	拷問 (torture)

How to read 拷

拷 is read gou (ごう) depending on the word.

Words with 拷

拷問

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Kanji read the same way as 拷

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

Updated: 2026-08-28