璧 — “Sphere / Ball” in Japanese

Master (高手)へき, たま

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

“Sphere / Ball” in Japanese is 璧, read heki, tama (へき, たま). 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 完璧 (perfection).

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What does 璧 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	璧
Meaning	Sphere / Ball
Readings	へき, たま
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	完璧 (perfection)

How to read 璧

璧 is read heki (へき) or tama (たま) depending on the word.

Words with 璧

完璧

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Kanji read the same way as 璧

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

Updated: 2026-08-28