禁 — “prohibit / forbid” in Japanese

Grade 5きん

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

“prohibit / forbid” in Japanese is 禁, read kin (きん). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 禁止 (prohibition).

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What does 禁 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	禁
Meaning	prohibit / forbid
Readings	きん
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	禁止 (prohibition)

How to read 禁

禁 is read kin (きん) depending on the word.

Words with 禁

禁止
禁錮

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Kanji read the same way as 禁

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

Read this character in a real sentence

🦀 解禁の香住漁港初せりでカニの価格が三十万円に Grade 5

Updated: 2026-08-28