残 — “remain / cruel” in Japanese

Grade 4ざん, のこ

Radical ⽍ · radical 78 The building block this kanji is filed under

“remain / cruel” in Japanese is 残, read zan, noko (ざん, のこ). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 残念 (regrettable).

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What does 残 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	残
Meaning	remain / cruel
Readings	ざん, のこ
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	残念 (regrettable)

How to read 残

残 is read zan (ざん) or noko (のこ) depending on the word.

Words with 残

残るのこるremain / cruel
残念
残酷

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Updated: 2026-08-28