泳 — “to swim” in Japanese

Grade 3えい, およ

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

“to swim” in Japanese is 泳, read ei, oyo (えい, およ). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 水泳 (swimming).

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What does 泳 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	泳
Meaning	to swim
Readings	えい, およ
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	水泳 (swimming)

How to read 泳

泳 is read ei (えい) or oyo (およ) depending on the word.

Words with 泳

水泳すいえい

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Kanji read the same way as 泳

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28