KanjiSchool KanjiSchool
Kanji › Grade 2 › 読
読
Kyōiku Kanji

読 — “to read” in Japanese

Grade 2どく, とく, とう, よ
Radical ⾔ · radical 149 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to read” in Japanese is 読, read doku, toku, tou (どく, とく, とう, よ). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 読書 (reading).

Try it now

What does 読 mean?

Full details, readings & example
Kanji読
Meaningto read
Readingsどく, とく, とう, よ
GradeGrade 2 (Easy)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example読書 (reading)

How to read 読

読 is read doku (どく) or toku (とく) or tou (とう) or yo (よ) depending on the word.

Words with 読

Learn 読 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 読

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28
Learn 読 the way Japanese kids do Start free