比 — “compare / ratio” in Japanese

Grade 5ひ, くら

Radical ⽐ · radical 81 The building block this kanji is filed under

“compare / ratio” in Japanese is 比, read hi, kura (ひ, くら). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 比較 (comparison).

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What does 比 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	比
Meaning	compare / ratio
Readings	ひ, くら
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	比較 (comparison)

How to read 比

比 is read hi (ひ) or kura (くら) depending on the word.

Words with 比

比率
比較
比喩

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Kanji read the same way as 比

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28