絶 — “sever / absolute” in Japanese

Grade 5ぜつ, た

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

“sever / absolute” in Japanese is 絶, read zetsu, ta (ぜつ, た). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 絶対 (absolute).

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What does 絶 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	絶
Meaning	sever / absolute
Readings	ぜつ, た
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	絶対 (absolute)

How to read 絶

絶 is read zetsu (ぜつ) or ta (た) depending on the word.

Words with 絶

絶対
絶妙
絶叫

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Kanji read the same way as 絶

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28