語 — “language / to tell” in Japanese

Grade 2ご, かた

Radical ⾔ · radical 149 The building block this kanji is filed under

“language / to tell” in Japanese is 語, read go, kata (ご, かた). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 日本語 (Japanese language).

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What does 語 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	語
Meaning	language / to tell
Readings	ご, かた
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	日本語 (Japanese language)

How to read 語

語 is read go (ご) or kata (かた) depending on the word.

Words with 語

物語ものがたり
季語きご
英語
熟語
俗語
語彙
日本語

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Kanji read the same way as 語

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Updated: 2026-08-28