脇 — “Armpit / The Other Way / Another Place / Flank” in Japanese

Master (高手)きょう, わき, わけ

Radical ⾁ · radical 130 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Armpit / The Other Way / Another Place / Flank” in Japanese is 脇, read kyou, waki, wake (きょう, わき, わけ). 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 脇役 (supporting role).

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What does 脇 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	脇
Meaning	Armpit / The Other Way / Another Place / Flank
Readings	きょう, わき, わけ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	脇役 (supporting role)

How to read 脇

脇 is read kyou (きょう) or waki (わき) or wake (わけ) depending on the word.

Words with 脇

脇役

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Kanji read the same way as 脇

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

Updated: 2026-08-28