漸 — “Steadily / Gradually Advancing / Finally / Barely” in Japanese

Master (高手)ぜん, ようや, やや, ようよ, すす

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

“Steadily / Gradually Advancing / Finally / Barely” in Japanese is 漸, read zen, youya, yaya (ぜん, ようや, やや, ようよ, すす). 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 漸次 (gradually).

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What does 漸 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	漸
Meaning	Steadily / Gradually Advancing / Finally / Barely
Readings	ぜん, ようや, やや, ようよ, すす
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	漸次 (gradually)

How to read 漸

漸 is read zen (ぜん) or youya (ようや) or yaya (やや) or youyo (ようよ) or susu (すす) depending on the word.

Words with 漸

漸次

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Kanji read the same way as 漸

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

Updated: 2026-08-28