荒 — Laid Waste / Rough / Rude / Wild

Master (高手)こう, あら, あら-, あ, -あ, すさ

Radical ⾋ · radical 140 The building block this kanji is filed under

荒 (readings: こう, あら, あら-, あ, -あ, すさ; Japanese kanji) means “Laid Waste / Rough / Rude / Wild”. 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 荒野 (wilderness).

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What does 荒 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	荒
Meaning	Laid Waste / Rough / Rude / Wild
Readings	こう, あら, あら-, あ, -あ, すさ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	荒野 (wilderness)

How to read 荒

荒 is read こう or あら or あら- or あ or -あ or すさ depending on the word.

Words with 荒

荒野hoang dã

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Updated: 2026-07-22