掛 — “Hang / Suspend / Depend / Arrive At” in Japanese

Master (高手)かい, けい, か, -か, -が, かかり, -がかり

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

“Hang / Suspend / Depend / Arrive At” in Japanese is 掛, read kai, kei, ka (かい, けい, か, -か, -が, かかり, -がかり). 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 掛ける (to hang).

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What does 掛 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	掛
Meaning	Hang / Suspend / Depend / Arrive At
Readings	かい, けい, か, -か, -が, かかり, -がかり
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	掛ける (to hang)

How to read 掛

掛 is read kai (かい) or kei (けい) or ka (か) or ka (-か) or ga (-が) or kakari (かかり) or gakari (-がかり) depending on the word.

Words with 掛

掛ける
肘掛け

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Kanji read the same way as 掛

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

Updated: 2026-08-28