米 — “rice / America” in Japanese

Grade 2べい, まい, こめ

Radical ⽶ · radical 119 The building block this kanji is filed under

“rice / America” in Japanese is 米, read bei, mai, kome (べい, まい, こめ). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 米国 (United States).

Try it now

What does 米 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	米
Meaning	rice / America
Readings	べい, まい, こめ
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	米国 (United States)

How to read 米

米 is read bei (べい) or mai (まい) or kome (こめ) depending on the word.

Words with 米

北米ほくべい
米国
米俵

Learn 米 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 米

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28