顧 — “Look Back / Review / Examine Oneself / Turn Around” in Japanese

Master (高手)こ, かえり

Radical ⾴ · radical 181 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Look Back / Review / Examine Oneself / Turn Around” in Japanese is 顧, read ko, kaeri (こ, かえり). 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 顧客 (customer).

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What does 顧 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	顧
Meaning	Look Back / Review / Examine Oneself / Turn Around
Readings	こ, かえり
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	顧客 (customer)

How to read 顧

顧 is read ko (こ) or kaeri (かえり) depending on the word.

Words with 顧

顧客

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Updated: 2026-08-28