離 — “Detach / Separation / Disjoin / Digress” in Japanese

Master (高手)り, はな

Radical ⾫ · radical 172 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Detach / Separation / Disjoin / Digress” in Japanese is 離, read ri, hana (り, はな). 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 距離 (distance).

Try it now

What does 離 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	離
Meaning	Detach / Separation / Disjoin / Digress
Readings	り, はな
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	距離 (distance)

How to read 離

離 is read ri (り) or hana (はな) depending on the word.

Words with 離

距離

Learn 離 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 離

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

Updated: 2026-08-28