謎 — “Riddle / Puzzle / Enigma / Hint” in Japanese

Master (高手)めい, べい, なぞ

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

“Riddle / Puzzle / Enigma / Hint” in Japanese is 謎, read mei, bei, nazo (めい, べい, なぞ). 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 謎 (mystery).

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What does 謎 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	謎
Meaning	Riddle / Puzzle / Enigma / Hint
Readings	めい, べい, なぞ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	謎 (mystery)

How to read 謎

謎 is read mei (めい) or bei (べい) or nazo (なぞ) depending on the word.

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Kanji read the same way as 謎

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

Updated: 2026-08-28