KanjiSchool KanjiSchool
KanjiGrade 4 › 改
Kyōiku Kanji

改 — improve / reform

Grade 4かい, あらた

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

What does 改 mean?

Kanji
Meaningimprove / reform
Readingsかい, あらた
GradeGrade 4 (Upper)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school

How to read 改

改 is read かい or あらた depending on the word.

Example words with 改

Example改善 (improvement)
Practice writing 改 — free
See 改's stroke order, take a quiz, and add it to your spaced-repetition review. KanjiSchool teaches all 1,026 Kyōiku kanji through real stories and news.
Start free — no credit card →
Updated: 2026-07-14