涙 — Tears / Sympathy

Master (高手)るい, れい, なみだ

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

涙 (readings: るい, れい, なみだ; Japanese kanji) means “Tears / Sympathy”. It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 涙 (tears).

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What does 涙 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	涙
Meaning	Tears / Sympathy
Readings	るい, れい, なみだ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	涙 (tears)

How to read 涙

涙 is read るい or れい or なみだ depending on the word.

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Updated: 2026-07-22