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Secondary-school Jōyō Kanji

辛 — Spicy / Bitter / Hot / Acrid

Master (高手)しん, から, つら, -づら, かのと
Radical ⾟ · radical 160 The building block this kanji is filed under

辛 (readings: しん, から, つら, -づら, かのと; Japanese kanji) means “Spicy / Bitter / Hot / Acrid”. 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 辛い (spicy).

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What does 辛 mean?

Full details, readings & example
Kanji
MeaningSpicy / Bitter / Hot / Acrid
Readingsしん, から, つら, -づら, かのと
GradeMaster (高手 · secondary school)
CurriculumJōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example辛い (spicy)

How to read 辛

辛 is read しん or から or つら or -づら or かのと depending on the word.

Words with 辛

  • 辛いcay
  • cay độc, gay gắt
  • ớt
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Updated: 2026-07-22
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