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閥
Secondary-school Jōyō Kanji

閥 — “Clique / Lineage / Pedigree / Faction” in Japanese

Master (高手)ばつ
Radical ⾨ · radical 169 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Clique / Lineage / Pedigree / Faction” in Japanese is 閥, read batsu (ばつ). 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 財閥 (financial clique).

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What does 閥 mean?

Full details, readings & example
Kanji閥
MeaningClique / Lineage / Pedigree / Faction
Readingsばつ
GradeMaster (高手 · secondary school)
CurriculumJōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example財閥 (financial clique)

How to read 閥

閥 is read batsu (ばつ) depending on the word.

Words with 閥

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Kanji read the same way as 閥

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

Updated: 2026-08-28
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