玉 — “jewel / ball” in Japanese

Grade 1ぎょく, たま

Radical ⽟ · radical 96 The building block this kanji is filed under

“jewel / ball” in Japanese is 玉, read gyoku, tama (ぎょく, たま). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 目玉 (eyeball).

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What does 玉 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	玉
Meaning	jewel / ball
Readings	ぎょく, たま
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	目玉 (eyeball)

How to read 玉

玉 is read gyoku (ぎょく) or tama (たま) depending on the word.

Words with 玉

花火玉はなびだま
目玉
埼玉県

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Kanji read the same way as 玉

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

球たま ball / sphere

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28