聖 — “holy / sacred” in Japanese

Grade 6せい

Radical ⽿ · radical 128 The building block this kanji is filed under

“holy / sacred” in Japanese is 聖, read sei (せい). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 聖地 (sacred place).

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What does 聖 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	聖
Meaning	holy / sacred
Readings	せい
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	聖地 (sacred place)

How to read 聖

聖 is read sei (せい) depending on the word.

Words with 聖

聖地

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Kanji read the same way as 聖

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

Updated: 2026-08-28