滞 — “Stagnate / Be Delayed / Overdue / Arrears” in Japanese

Master (高手)たい, てい, とどこお

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

“Stagnate / Be Delayed / Overdue / Arrears” in Japanese is 滞, read tai, tei, todokoo (たい, てい, とどこお). 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 滞在 (stay).

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What does 滞 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	滞
Meaning	Stagnate / Be Delayed / Overdue / Arrears
Readings	たい, てい, とどこお
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	滞在 (stay)

How to read 滞

滞 is read tai (たい) or tei (てい) or todokoo (とどこお) depending on the word.

Words with 滞

渋滞
滞在

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Kanji read the same way as 滞

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

Updated: 2026-08-28