獣 — “Animal / Beast” in Japanese

Master (高手)じゅう, けもの, けだもの

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

“Animal / Beast” in Japanese is 獣, read juu, kemono, kedamono (じゅう, けもの, けだもの). 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 獣医 (veterinarian).

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What does 獣 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	獣
Meaning	Animal / Beast
Readings	じゅう, けもの, けだもの
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	獣医 (veterinarian)

How to read 獣

獣 is read juu (じゅう) or kemono (けもの) or kedamono (けだもの) depending on the word.

Words with 獣

獣医

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Kanji read the same way as 獣

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

Updated: 2026-08-28