湾 — “Gulf / Bay / Inlet” in Japanese

Master (高手)わん, いりえ

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

“Gulf / Bay / Inlet” in Japanese is 湾, read wan, irie (わん, いりえ). 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 台湾 (Taiwan).

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What does 湾 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	湾
Meaning	Gulf / Bay / Inlet
Readings	わん, いりえ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	台湾 (Taiwan)

How to read 湾

湾 is read wan (わん) or irie (いりえ) depending on the word.

Words with 湾

台湾

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Updated: 2026-08-28