発 — “to depart / to emit” in Japanese

Grade 3はつ, ほつ

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“to depart / to emit” in Japanese is 発, read hatsu, hotsu (はつ, ほつ). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 発見 (discovery).

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What does 発 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	発
Meaning	to depart / to emit
Readings	はつ, ほつ
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	発見 (discovery)

How to read 発

発 is read hatsu (はつ) or hotsu (ほつ) depending on the word.

Words with 発

発生はっせい
発令はつれい
発表はっぴょう
発展はってん
開発かいはつ
蒸発じょうはつ
発達はったつ
発見
発熱
爆発

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Kanji read the same way as 発

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

初はつ first / beginning

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28