衰 — “Decline / Wane / Weaken” in Japanese

Master (高手)すい, おとろ

Radical ⾐ · radical 145 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Decline / Wane / Weaken” in Japanese is 衰, read sui, otoro (すい, おとろ). 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 衰退 (decline).

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What does 衰 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	衰
Meaning	Decline / Wane / Weaken
Readings	すい, おとろ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	衰退 (decline)

How to read 衰

衰 is read sui (すい) or otoro (おとろ) depending on the word.

Words with 衰

衰退

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Kanji read the same way as 衰

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

Updated: 2026-08-28