演 — “perform / act” in Japanese

Grade 5えん

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

“perform / act” in Japanese is 演, read en (えん). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 演技 (acting).

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What does 演 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	演
Meaning	perform / act
Readings	えん
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	演技 (acting)

How to read 演

演 is read en (えん) depending on the word.

Words with 演

演出えんしゅつ
演技
演奏
演壇

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Kanji read the same way as 演

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28