難 — “difficult / disaster” in Japanese

Grade 6なん, かた, むず

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“difficult / disaster” in Japanese is 難, read nan, kata, muzu (なん, かた, むず). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 困難 (difficulty).

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What does 難 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	難
Meaning	difficult / disaster
Readings	なん, かた, むず
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	困難 (difficulty)

How to read 難

難 is read nan (なん) or kata (かた) or muzu (むず) depending on the word.

Words with 難

避難ひなん
避難指示ひなんしじ
困難
盗難

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Kanji read the same way as 難

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Updated: 2026-08-28