曲 — “tune / to bend” in Japanese

Grade 3きょく, ま

Radical ⽈ · radical 73 The building block this kanji is filed under

“tune / to bend” in Japanese is 曲, read kyoku, ma (きょく, ま). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 音楽 (music).

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What does 曲 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	曲
Meaning	tune / to bend
Readings	きょく, ま
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	音楽 (music)

How to read 曲

曲 is read kyoku (きょく) or ma (ま) depending on the word.

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Kanji read the same way as 曲

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28