KanjiSchool KanjiSchool
KanjiGrade 1 › 貝
Kyōiku Kanji

貝 — shellfish / shell

Grade 1かい

貝 (readings: かい; Japanese kanji) means “shellfish / shell”. It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 貝がら (seashell).

What does 貝 mean?

Kanji
Meaningshellfish / shell
Readingsかい
GradeGrade 1 (Easiest)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school

How to read 貝

貝 is read かい depending on the word.

Example words with 貝

Example貝がら (seashell)
Practice writing 貝 — free
See 貝's stroke order, take a quiz, and add it to your spaced-repetition review. KanjiSchool teaches all 1,026 Kyōiku kanji through real stories and news.
Start free — no credit card →
Updated: 2026-07-14