甲 — “Armor / High (voice) / A Grade / First Class” in Japanese

Master (高手)こう, かん, きのえ

Radical ⽥ · radical 102 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Armor / High (voice) / A Grade / First Class” in Japanese is 甲, read kou, kan, kinoe (こう, かん, きのえ). 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 甲乙 (grades A and B).

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What does 甲 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	甲
Meaning	Armor / High (voice) / A Grade / First Class
Readings	こう, かん, きのえ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	甲乙 (grades A and B)

How to read 甲

甲 is read kou (こう) or kan (かん) or kinoe (きのえ) depending on the word.

Words with 甲

甲乙

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Kanji read the same way as 甲

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

Updated: 2026-08-28