改 — “improve / reform” in Japanese

Grade 4かい, あらた

Radical ⽁ · radical 66 The building block this kanji is filed under

“improve / reform” in Japanese is 改, read kai, arata (かい, あらた). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 改善 (improvement).

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What does 改 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	改
Meaning	improve / reform
Readings	かい, あらた
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	改善 (improvement)

How to read 改

改 is read kai (かい) or arata (あらた) depending on the word.

Words with 改

改良かいりょう
改善

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Kanji read the same way as 改

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Updated: 2026-08-28