昨 — “yesterday / last” in Japanese

Grade 4さく

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

“yesterday / last” in Japanese is 昨, read saku (さく). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 昨日 (yesterday).

Try it now

What does 昨 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	昨
Meaning	yesterday / last
Readings	さく
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	昨日 (yesterday)

How to read 昨

昨 is read saku (さく) depending on the word.

Words with 昨

昨日

Learn 昨 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 昨

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28