番 — “number / turn” in Japanese

Grade 2ばん

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

“number / turn” in Japanese is 番, read ban (ばん). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 一番 (number one).

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What does 番 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	番
Meaning	number / turn
Readings	ばん
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	一番 (number one)

How to read 番

番 is read ban (ばん) depending on the word.

Words with 番

当番とうばん
一番いちばん
番付ばんづけ
本番ほんばん
定番ていばん
交番こうばん
順番じゅんばん
大一番おおいちばん
給食当番きゅうしょくとうばん
番号

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Kanji read the same way as 番

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28