昧 — “Dark / Foolish” in Japanese

Master (高手)まい, ばい, くら, むさぼ

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

“Dark / Foolish” in Japanese is 昧, read mai, bai, kura (まい, ばい, くら, むさぼ). 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 曖昧 (ambiguity).

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What does 昧 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	昧
Meaning	Dark / Foolish
Readings	まい, ばい, くら, むさぼ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	曖昧 (ambiguity)

How to read 昧

昧 is read mai (まい) or bai (ばい) or kura (くら) or musabo (むさぼ) depending on the word.

Words with 昧

曖昧

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Kanji read the same way as 昧

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

Updated: 2026-08-28