朗 — “bright / cheerful” in Japanese

Grade 6ろう, ほが

Radical ⽉ · radical 74 The building block this kanji is filed under

“bright / cheerful” in Japanese is 朗, read rou, hoga (ろう, ほが). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 明朗 (cheerful).

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What does 朗 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	朗
Meaning	bright / cheerful
Readings	ろう, ほが
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	明朗 (cheerful)

How to read 朗

朗 is read rou (ろう) or hoga (ほが) depending on the word.

Words with 朗

明朗

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Kanji read the same way as 朗

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

Updated: 2026-08-28