脳 — “brain” in Japanese

Grade 6のう

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

“brain” in Japanese is 脳, read nou (のう). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 脳細胞 (brain cell).

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What does 脳 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	脳
Meaning	brain
Readings	のう
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	脳細胞 (brain cell)

How to read 脳

脳 is read nou (のう) depending on the word.

Words with 脳

頭脳
脳細胞

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Kanji read the same way as 脳

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Updated: 2026-08-28