毀 — “Break / Destroy / Censure / Be Chipped” in Japanese

Master (高手)き, こぼ, こわ, そし, やぶ

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

“Break / Destroy / Censure / Be Chipped” in Japanese is 毀, read ki, kobo, kowa (き, こぼ, こわ, そし, やぶ). 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 毀損 (damage / defamation).

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What does 毀 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	毀
Meaning	Break / Destroy / Censure / Be Chipped
Readings	き, こぼ, こわ, そし, やぶ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	毀損 (damage / defamation)

How to read 毀

毀 is read ki (き) or kobo (こぼ) or kowa (こわ) or soshi (そし) or yabu (やぶ) depending on the word.

Words with 毀

毀損

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Kanji read the same way as 毀

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

Updated: 2026-08-28