祭 — “festival” in Japanese

Grade 3さい, まつ

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

“festival” in Japanese is 祭, read sai, matsu (さい, まつ). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as お祭り (festival).

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What does 祭 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	祭
Meaning	festival
Readings	さい, まつ
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	お祭り (festival)

How to read 祭

祭 is read sai (さい) or matsu (まつ) depending on the word.

Words with 祭

夏祭なつまつ
三大祭さんだいまつ
お祭りfestival

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Kanji read the same way as 祭

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28