法 — “law” in Japanese

Grade 4ほう, はっ

Radical ⽔ · radical 85 The building block this kanji is filed under

“law” in Japanese is 法, read hou, ha (ほう, はっ). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 法律 (law).

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What does 法 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	法
Meaning	law
Readings	ほう, はっ
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	法律 (law)

How to read 法

法 is read hou (ほう) or ha (はっ) depending on the word.

Words with 法

方法ほうほう
法律ほうりつ
寸法
憲法
法廷

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Kanji read the same way as 法

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28