窃 — “Stealth / Steal / Secret / Private” in Japanese

Master (高手)せつ, ぬす, ひそ

Radical ⽳ · radical 116 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Stealth / Steal / Secret / Private” in Japanese is 窃, read setsu, nusu, hiso (せつ, ぬす, ひそ). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 窃盗 (theft).

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What does 窃 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	窃
Meaning	Stealth / Steal / Secret / Private
Readings	せつ, ぬす, ひそ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	窃盗 (theft)

How to read 窃

窃 is read setsu (せつ) or nusu (ぬす) or hiso (ひそ) depending on the word.

Words with 窃

窃盗

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Kanji read the same way as 窃

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

Updated: 2026-08-28