迷 — “lost / astray” in Japanese

Grade 5めい, まよ

Radical ⾡ · radical 162 The building block this kanji is filed under

“lost / astray” in Japanese is 迷, read mei, mayo (めい, まよ). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 迷子 (lost child).

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What does 迷 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	迷
Meaning	lost / astray
Readings	めい, まよ
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	迷子 (lost child)

How to read 迷

迷 is read mei (めい) or mayo (まよ) depending on the word.

Words with 迷

迷子
迷惑

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Kanji read the same way as 迷

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

Updated: 2026-08-28