関 — “relate / barrier” in Japanese

Grade 4かん, せき, かか

Radical ⾨ · radical 169 The building block this kanji is filed under

“relate / barrier” in Japanese is 関, read kan, seki, kaka (かん, せき, かか). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 関係 (relationship).

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What does 関 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	関
Meaning	relate / barrier
Readings	かん, せき, かか
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	関係 (relationship)

How to read 関

関 is read kan (かん) or seki (せき) or kaka (かか) depending on the word.

Words with 関

関心かんしん
関係かんけい
機関きかん
関係者かんけいしゃ
交通機関こうつうきかん
玄関

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Kanji read the same way as 関

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28