郭 — “Enclosure / Quarters / Fortification / Red-light District” in Japanese

Master (高手)かく, くるわ

Radical ⾢ · radical 163 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Enclosure / Quarters / Fortification / Red-light District” in Japanese is 郭, read kaku, kuruwa (かく, くるわ). 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 輪郭 (outline).

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What does 郭 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	郭
Meaning	Enclosure / Quarters / Fortification / Red-light District
Readings	かく, くるわ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	輪郭 (outline)

How to read 郭

郭 is read kaku (かく) or kuruwa (くるわ) depending on the word.

Words with 郭

輪郭

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Kanji read the same way as 郭

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

Updated: 2026-08-28