放 — “to release / to set free” in Japanese

Grade 3ほう, はな, ほう

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

“to release / to set free” in Japanese is 放, read hou, hana (ほう, はな, ほう). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 放送 (broadcasting).

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What does 放 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	放
Meaning	to release / to set free
Readings	ほう, はな, ほう
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	放送 (broadcasting)

How to read 放

放 is read hou (ほう) or hana (はな) or hou (ほう) depending on the word.

Words with 放

開放かいほう
放電ほうでん
放送
放棄

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Kanji read the same way as 放

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Updated: 2026-08-28