細 — “thin / fine” in Japanese

Grade 2さい, こま, ほそ

Radical ⽷ · radical 120 The building block this kanji is filed under

“thin / fine” in Japanese is 細, read sai, koma, hoso (さい, こま, ほそ). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 細い (thin/slender).

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What does 細 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	細
Meaning	thin / fine
Readings	さい, こま, ほそ
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	細い (thin/slender)

How to read 細

細 is read sai (さい) or koma (こま) or hoso (ほそ) depending on the word.

Words with 細

細いthin / fine
詳細
細胞
細菌
脳細胞

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Kanji read the same way as 細

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Updated: 2026-08-28