絵 — “picture / drawing” in Japanese

Grade 2かい, え

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

“picture / drawing” in Japanese is 絵, read kai, e (かい, え). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 絵本 (picture book).

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What does 絵 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	絵
Meaning	picture / drawing
Readings	かい, え
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	絵本 (picture book)

How to read 絵

絵 is read kai (かい) or e (え) depending on the word.

Words with 絵

絵画
絵本
錦絵

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Updated: 2026-08-28