既 — Previously / Already / Long Ago

Master (高手)き, すで

Radical ⽆ · radical 71 The building block this kanji is filed under

既 (readings: き, すで; Japanese kanji) means “Previously / Already / Long Ago”. 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 既存 (existing).

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What does 既 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	既
Meaning	Previously / Already / Long Ago
Readings	き, すで
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	既存 (existing)

How to read 既

既 is read き or すで depending on the word.

Words with 既

既存đã có sẵn

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Updated: 2026-07-22