殴 — “Assault / Hit / Beat / Thrash” in Japanese

Master (高手)おう, なぐ

Radical ⽎ · radical 79 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Assault / Hit / Beat / Thrash” in Japanese is 殴, read ou, nagu (おう, なぐ). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 殴打 (assault).

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What does 殴 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	殴
Meaning	Assault / Hit / Beat / Thrash
Readings	おう, なぐ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	殴打 (assault)

How to read 殴

殴 is read ou (おう) or nagu (なぐ) depending on the word.

Words with 殴

殴打

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Kanji read the same way as 殴

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

Updated: 2026-08-28