極 — “pole / extreme” in Japanese

Grade 4きょく, ごく, きわ

Radical ⽊ · radical 75 The building block this kanji is filed under

“pole / extreme” in Japanese is 極, read kyoku, goku, kiwa (きょく, ごく, きわ). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 北極 (North Pole).

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What does 極 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	極
Meaning	pole / extreme
Readings	きょく, ごく, きわ
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	北極 (North Pole)

How to read 極

極 is read kyoku (きょく) or goku (ごく) or kiwa (きわ) depending on the word.

Words with 極

積極せっきょく
北極

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Kanji read the same way as 極

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Updated: 2026-08-28