錮 — “Confinement / To Tie” in Japanese

Master (高手)こ, ふさ

Radical ⾦ · radical 167 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Confinement / To Tie” in Japanese is 錮, read ko, fusa (こ, ふさ). 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 禁錮 (imprisonment).

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What does 錮 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	錮
Meaning	Confinement / To Tie
Readings	こ, ふさ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	禁錮 (imprisonment)

How to read 錮

錮 is read ko (こ) or fusa (ふさ) depending on the word.

Words with 錮

禁錮

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Updated: 2026-08-28