誠 — “sincere” in Japanese

Grade 6せい, まこと

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

“sincere” in Japanese is 誠, read sei, makoto (せい, まこと). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 誠実 (honest).

Try it now

What does 誠 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	誠
Meaning	sincere
Readings	せい, まこと
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	誠実 (honest)

How to read 誠

誠 is read sei (せい) or makoto (まこと) depending on the word.

Words with 誠

誠実

Learn 誠 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 誠

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

Updated: 2026-08-28