明 — “bright / clear” in Japanese

Grade 2めい, みょう, あ, あか

Radical ⽇ · radical 72 The building block this kanji is filed under

“bright / clear” in Japanese is 明, read mei, myou, a (めい, みょう, あ, あか). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 明日 (tomorrow).

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What does 明 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	明
Meaning	bright / clear
Readings	めい, みょう, あ, あか
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	明日 (tomorrow)

How to read 明

明 is read mei (めい) or myou (みょう) or a (あ) or aka (あか) depending on the word.

Words with 明

明日あした
表明ひょうめい
未明みめい
明治めいじ
説明
証明
明朗
透明
賢明
明瞭

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Kanji read the same way as 明

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28