親 — “parent / intimate” in Japanese

Grade 2しん, おや, した

Radical ⾒ · radical 147 The building block this kanji is filed under

“parent / intimate” in Japanese is 親, read shin, oya, shita (しん, おや, した). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 親切 (kindness).

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What does 親 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	親
Meaning	parent / intimate
Readings	しん, おや, した
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	親切 (kindness)

How to read 親

親 is read shin (しん) or oya (おや) or shita (した) depending on the word.

Words with 親

親切しんせつ
父親
母親
両親
親睦
親戚
親孝行

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Kanji read the same way as 親

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28