滅 — Destroy / Ruin / Overthrow / Perish

Master (高手)めつ, ほろ

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

滅 (readings: めつ, ほろ; Japanese kanji) means “Destroy / Ruin / Overthrow / Perish”. 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 滅亡 (destruction).

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What does 滅 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	滅
Meaning	Destroy / Ruin / Overthrow / Perish
Readings	めつ, ほろ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	滅亡 (destruction)

How to read 滅

滅 is read めつ or ほろ depending on the word.

Words with 滅

滅亡diệt vong

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Updated: 2026-07-22