虹 — “Rainbow” in Japanese

Master (高手)こう, にじ

Radical ⾍ · radical 142 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Rainbow” in Japanese is 虹, read kou, niji (こう, にじ). 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 虹 (rainbow).

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What does 虹 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	虹
Meaning	Rainbow
Readings	こう, にじ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	虹 (rainbow)

How to read 虹

虹 is read kou (こう) or niji (にじ) depending on the word.

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Kanji read the same way as 虹

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

Updated: 2026-08-28