警 — “to warn / police” in Japanese

Grade 6けい

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

“to warn / police” in Japanese is 警, read kei (けい). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 警察 (police).

Try it now

What does 警 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	警
Meaning	to warn / police
Readings	けい
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	警察 (police)

How to read 警

警 is read kei (けい) depending on the word.

Words with 警

警戒けいかい
警報けいほう
警察けいさつ
警察官けいさつかん
警戒水位けいかいすいい
警察署

Learn 警 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 警

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28