為 — “Do / Change / Make / Benefit” in Japanese

Master (高手)い, ため, な, す, たり, つく, なり

Radical ⽕ · radical 86 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Do / Change / Make / Benefit” in Japanese is 為, read i, tame, na (い, ため, な, す, たり, つく, なり). 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 行為 (act, conduct).

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What does 為 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	為
Meaning	Do / Change / Make / Benefit
Readings	い, ため, な, す, たり, つく, なり
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	行為 (act, conduct)

How to read 為

為 is read i (い) or tame (ため) or na (な) or su (す) or tari (たり) or tsuku (つく) or nari (なり) depending on the word.

Words with 為

行為

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Kanji read the same way as 為

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

Updated: 2026-08-28