鎌 — “Sickle / Scythe / Trick” in Japanese

Master (高手)れん, けん, かま

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

“Sickle / Scythe / Trick” in Japanese is 鎌, read ren, ken, kama (れん, けん, かま). 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 鎌 (sickle).

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What does 鎌 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	鎌
Meaning	Sickle / Scythe / Trick
Readings	れん, けん, かま
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	鎌 (sickle)

How to read 鎌

鎌 is read ren (れん) or ken (けん) or kama (かま) depending on the word.

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Kanji read the same way as 鎌

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

Updated: 2026-08-28