活 — “activity / to live” in Japanese

Grade 2かつ, い

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

“activity / to live” in Japanese is 活, read katsu, i (かつ, い). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 生活 (daily life).

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What does 活 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	活
Meaning	activity / to live
Readings	かつ, い
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	生活 (daily life)

How to read 活

活 is read katsu (かつ) or i (い) depending on the word.

Words with 活

生活せいかつ
活気かっき
活動かつどう
活躍

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Kanji read the same way as 活

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28