泣 — “cry” in Japanese

Grade 4きゅう, な

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

“cry” in Japanese is 泣, read kyuu, na (きゅう, な). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 号泣 (wailing / crying loudly).

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What does 泣 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	泣
Meaning	cry
Readings	きゅう, な
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	号泣 (wailing / crying loudly)

How to read 泣

泣 is read kyuu (きゅう) or na (な) depending on the word.

Words with 泣

号泣

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Kanji read the same way as 泣

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

Updated: 2026-08-28