断 — “refuse / cut off” in Japanese

Grade 5だん, ことわ, た

Radical ⽄ · radical 69 The building block this kanji is filed under

“refuse / cut off” in Japanese is 断, read dan, kotowa, ta (だん, ことわ, た). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 決断 (decision).

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What does 断 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	断
Meaning	refuse / cut off
Readings	だん, ことわ, た
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	決断 (decision)

How to read 断

断 is read dan (だん) or kotowa (ことわ) or ta (た) depending on the word.

Words with 断

判断はんだん
横断
決断
縦断
遮断
断崖

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Kanji read the same way as 断

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Updated: 2026-08-28