距 — “Long-distance / Spur / Fetlock” in Japanese

Master (高手)きょ, へだ, けづめ

Radical ⾜ · radical 157 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Long-distance / Spur / Fetlock” in Japanese is 距, read kyo, heda, kezume (きょ, へだ, けづめ). 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 距離 (distance).

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What does 距 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	距
Meaning	Long-distance / Spur / Fetlock
Readings	きょ, へだ, けづめ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	距離 (distance)

How to read 距

距 is read kyo (きょ) or heda (へだ) or kezume (けづめ) depending on the word.

Words with 距

距離

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Kanji read the same way as 距

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

Updated: 2026-08-28