蔑 — “Ignore / Despise / Neglect / Ridicule” in Japanese

Master (高手)べつ, ないがしろ, なみ, くらい, さげす

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

“Ignore / Despise / Neglect / Ridicule” in Japanese is 蔑, read betsu, naigashiro, nami (べつ, ないがしろ, なみ, くらい, さげす). 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 軽蔑 (contempt).

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What does 蔑 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	蔑
Meaning	Ignore / Despise / Neglect / Ridicule
Readings	べつ, ないがしろ, なみ, くらい, さげす
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	軽蔑 (contempt)

How to read 蔑

蔑 is read betsu (べつ) or naigashiro (ないがしろ) or nami (なみ) or kurai (くらい) or sagesu (さげす) depending on the word.

Words with 蔑

軽蔑

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Kanji read the same way as 蔑

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

Updated: 2026-08-28