欲 — “desire / craving” in Japanese

Grade 6よく, ほっ, ほ

Radical ⽋ · radical 76 The building block this kanji is filed under

“desire / craving” in Japanese is 欲, read yoku, ho (よく, ほっ, ほ). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 欲望 (desire).

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What does 欲 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	欲
Meaning	desire / craving
Readings	よく, ほっ, ほ
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	欲望 (desire)

How to read 欲

欲 is read yoku (よく) or ho (ほっ) or ho (ほ) depending on the word.

Words with 欲

欲望
貪欲

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Kanji read the same way as 欲

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

Read this character in a real sentence

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Updated: 2026-08-28