荒 — “Laid Waste / Rough / Rude / Wild” in Japanese

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

“Laid Waste / Rough / Rude / Wild” in Japanese is 荒, read kou, ara, a (こう, あら, あら-, あ, -あ, すさ). 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 kou (こう) or ara (あら) or ara (あら-) or a (あ) or a (-あ) or susa (すさ) depending on the word.

Words with 荒

荒野

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Kanji read the same way as 荒

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

Updated: 2026-08-28