管 — “pipe / control” in Japanese

Grade 4かん, くだ

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

“pipe / control” in Japanese is 管, read kan, kuda (かん, くだ). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 管理 (management).

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What does 管 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	管
Meaning	pipe / control
Readings	かん, くだ
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	管理 (management)

How to read 管

管 is read kan (かん) or kuda (くだ) depending on the word.

Words with 管

保管ほかん
管理
管轄

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Kanji read the same way as 管

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28