直 — “straight / to fix” in Japanese

Grade 2ちょく, じき, なお, ただ

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“straight / to fix” in Japanese is 直, read choku, jiki, nao (ちょく, じき, なお, ただ). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 直接 (direct).

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What does 直 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	直
Meaning	straight / to fix
Readings	ちょく, じき, なお, ただ
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	直接 (direct)

How to read 直

直 is read choku (ちょく) or jiki (じき) or nao (なお) or tada (ただ) depending on the word.

Words with 直

直撃ちょくげき
直径ちょっけい
直接
垂直

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Kanji read the same way as 直

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28