釈 — “Explanation” in Japanese

Master (高手)しゃく, せき, とく, す, ゆる

Radical ⾤ · radical 165 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Explanation” in Japanese is 釈, read shaku, seki, toku (しゃく, せき, とく, す, ゆる). 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 解釈 (interpretation).

Try it now

What does 釈 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	釈
Meaning	Explanation
Readings	しゃく, せき, とく, す, ゆる
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	解釈 (interpretation)

How to read 釈

釈 is read shaku (しゃく) or seki (せき) or toku (とく) or su (す) or yuru (ゆる) depending on the word.

Words with 釈

解釈

Learn 釈 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 釈

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

Updated: 2026-08-28