隷 — “Slave / Servant / Prisoner / Criminal” in Japanese

Master (高手)れい, したが, しもべ

Radical ⾪ · radical 171 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Slave / Servant / Prisoner / Criminal” in Japanese is 隷, read rei, shitaga, shimobe (れい, したが, しもべ). 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 奴隷 (slave).

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What does 隷 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	隷
Meaning	Slave / Servant / Prisoner / Criminal
Readings	れい, したが, しもべ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	奴隷 (slave)

How to read 隷

隷 is read rei (れい) or shitaga (したが) or shimobe (しもべ) depending on the word.

Words with 隷

奴隷

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Kanji read the same way as 隷

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

Updated: 2026-08-28