責 — “responsibility / blame” in Japanese

Grade 5せき, せ

Radical ⾙ · radical 154 The building block this kanji is filed under

“responsibility / blame” in Japanese is 責, read seki, se (せき, せ). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 責任 (responsibility).

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What does 責 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	責
Meaning	responsibility / blame
Readings	せき, せ
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	責任 (responsibility)

How to read 責

責 is read seki (せき) or se (せ) depending on the word.

Words with 責

責任せきにん
叱責

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Kanji read the same way as 責

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28