答 — “to answer” in Japanese

Grade 2とう, こた

Radical ⽵ · radical 118 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to answer” in Japanese is 答, read tou, kota (とう, こた). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 答え (answer).

Try it now

What does 答 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	答
Meaning	to answer
Readings	とう, こた
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	答え (answer)

How to read 答

答 is read tou (とう) or kota (こた) depending on the word.

Words with 答

答えto answer
贈答

Learn 答 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 答

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28