醒 — “Awake / Be Disillusioned / Sober Up” in Japanese

Master (高手)せい, さ

Radical ⾣ · radical 164 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Awake / Be Disillusioned / Sober Up” in Japanese is 醒, read sei, sa (せい, さ). 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 覚醒 (awakening).

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What does 醒 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	醒
Meaning	Awake / Be Disillusioned / Sober Up
Readings	せい, さ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	覚醒 (awakening)

How to read 醒

醒 is read sei (せい) or sa (さ) depending on the word.

Words with 醒

覚醒

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Kanji read the same way as 醒

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

Updated: 2026-08-28