気 — “spirit / energy” in Japanese

Grade 1き, け

Radical ⽓ · radical 84 The building block this kanji is filed under

“spirit / energy” in Japanese is 気, read ki, ke (き, け). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 元気 (healthy).

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What does 気 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	気
Meaning	spirit / energy
Readings	き, け
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	元気 (healthy)

How to read 気

気 is read ki (き) or ke (け) depending on the word.

Words with 気

元気げんき
天気てんき
気象きしょう
気圧きあつ
気候きこう
熱気ねっき
活気かっき
電気でんき
空気くうき
気温きおん

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Updated: 2026-08-28