軟 — “Soft” in Japanese

Master (高手)なん, やわ

Radical ⾞ · radical 159 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Soft” in Japanese is 軟, read nan, yawa (なん, やわ). 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 柔軟 (flexible).

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What does 軟 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	軟
Meaning	Soft
Readings	なん, やわ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	柔軟 (flexible)

How to read 軟

軟 is read nan (なん) or yawa (やわ) depending on the word.

Words with 軟

柔軟

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Kanji read the same way as 軟

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

Updated: 2026-08-28