辣 — “Pungent / Spicy / Harsh / Cruel” in Japanese

Master (高手)らつ, から

Radical ⾟ · radical 160 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Pungent / Spicy / Harsh / Cruel” in Japanese is 辣, read ratsu, kara (らつ, から). 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 辛辣 (bitter / scathing).

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What does 辣 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	辣
Meaning	Pungent / Spicy / Harsh / Cruel
Readings	らつ, から
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	辛辣 (bitter / scathing)

How to read 辣

辣 is read ratsu (らつ) or kara (から) depending on the word.

Words with 辣

辛辣

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Updated: 2026-08-28