際 — “occasion / time” in Japanese

Grade 5さい, きわ

Radical ⾩ · radical 170 The building block this kanji is filed under

“occasion / time” in Japanese is 際, read sai, kiwa (さい, きわ). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 国際 (international).

Try it now

What does 際 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	際
Meaning	occasion / time
Readings	さい, きわ
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	国際 (international)

How to read 際

際 is read sai (さい) or kiwa (きわ) depending on the word.

Words with 際

国際こくさい
国際会議こくさいかいぎ
国際競技場こくさいきょうぎじょう
実際

Learn 際 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 際

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28