罰 — “Penalty / Punishment” in Japanese

Master (高手)ばつ, ばち, はつ, ばっ

Radical ⽹ · radical 122 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Penalty / Punishment” in Japanese is 罰, read batsu, bachi, hatsu (ばつ, ばち, はつ, ばっ). 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 罰 (punishment).

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What does 罰 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	罰
Meaning	Penalty / Punishment
Readings	ばつ, ばち, はつ, ばっ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	罰 (punishment)

How to read 罰

罰 is read batsu (ばつ) or bachi (ばち) or hatsu (はつ) or ba (ばっ) depending on the word.

Words with 罰

刑罰
懲罰

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Kanji read the same way as 罰

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

Updated: 2026-08-28