被 — Incur / Cover / Veil / Brood Over

Master (高手)ひ, こうむ, おお, かぶ

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

被 (readings: ひ, こうむ, おお, かぶ; Japanese kanji) means “Incur / Cover / Veil / Brood Over”. 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 被害 (damage).

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What does 被 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	被
Meaning	Incur / Cover / Veil / Brood Over
Readings	ひ, こうむ, おお, かぶ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	被害 (damage)

How to read 被

被 is read ひ or こうむ or おお or かぶ depending on the word.

Words with 被

被害ひがいthiệt hại
被災地ひさいちvùng bị nạn

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Updated: 2026-07-22