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KanjiGrade 4 › 欠
Kyōiku Kanji

欠 — lack / be absent

Grade 4けつ, か

欠 (readings: けつ, か; Japanese kanji) means “lack / be absent”. It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 欠席 (absence).

What does 欠 mean?

Kanji
Meaninglack / be absent
Readingsけつ, か
GradeGrade 4 (Upper)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school

How to read 欠

欠 is read けつ or depending on the word.

Example words with 欠

Example欠席 (absence)
Practice writing 欠 — free
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Updated: 2026-07-14