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竹
Kyōiku Kanji

竹 — “bamboo” in Japanese

Grade 1ちく, たけ
Radical ⽵ · radical 118 The building block this kanji is filed under

“bamboo” in Japanese is 竹, read chiku, take (ちく, たけ). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 竹林 (bamboo grove).

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What does 竹 mean?

Full details, readings & example
Kanji竹
Meaningbamboo
Readingsちく, たけ
GradeGrade 1 (Easiest)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example竹林 (bamboo grove)

How to read 竹

竹 is read chiku (ちく) or take (たけ) depending on the word.

Words with 竹

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Kanji read the same way as 竹

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28
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