礼 — “courtesy / etiquette” in Japanese

Grade 3れい, らい

Radical ⽰ · radical 113 The building block this kanji is filed under

“courtesy / etiquette” in Japanese is 礼, read rei, rai (れい, らい). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 礼儀 (manners).

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What does 礼 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	礼
Meaning	courtesy / etiquette
Readings	れい, らい
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	礼儀 (manners)

How to read 礼

礼 is read rei (れい) or rai (らい) depending on the word.

Words with 礼

礼儀

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Kanji read the same way as 礼

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Updated: 2026-08-28