粋 — “Chic / Style / Purity / Essence” in Japanese

Master (高手)すい, いき

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

“Chic / Style / Purity / Essence” in Japanese is 粋, read sui, iki (すい, いき). 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 純粋 (pure).

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What does 粋 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	粋
Meaning	Chic / Style / Purity / Essence
Readings	すい, いき
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	純粋 (pure)

How to read 粋

粋 is read sui (すい) or iki (いき) depending on the word.

Words with 粋

純粋

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Kanji read the same way as 粋

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

Updated: 2026-08-28