狭 — “Cramped / Narrow / Contract / Tight” in Japanese

Master (高手)きょう, こう, せま, せば, さ

Radical ⽝ · radical 94 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Cramped / Narrow / Contract / Tight” in Japanese is 狭, read kyou, kou, sema (きょう, こう, せま, せば, さ). 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 狭い (narrow).

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What does 狭 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	狭
Meaning	Cramped / Narrow / Contract / Tight
Readings	きょう, こう, せま, せば, さ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	狭い (narrow)

How to read 狭

狭 is read kyou (きょう) or kou (こう) or sema (せま) or seba (せば) or sa (さ) depending on the word.

Words with 狭

狭い

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Kanji read the same way as 狭

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

Updated: 2026-08-28