看 — “to care for / to watch” in Japanese

Grade 6かん

Radical ⽬ · radical 109 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to care for / to watch” in Japanese is 看, read kan (かん). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 看護 (nursing).

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What does 看 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	看
Meaning	to care for / to watch
Readings	かん
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	看護 (nursing)

How to read 看

看 is read kan (かん) depending on the word.

Words with 看

看板
看護

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Kanji read the same way as 看

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

Updated: 2026-08-28