駄 — “Burdensome / Pack Horse / Horse Load / Send By Horse” in Japanese

Master (高手)だ, た

Radical ⾺ · radical 187 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Burdensome / Pack Horse / Horse Load / Send By Horse” in Japanese is 駄, read da, ta (だ, た). 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 無駄 (waste).

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What does 駄 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	駄
Meaning	Burdensome / Pack Horse / Horse Load / Send By Horse
Readings	だ, た
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	無駄 (waste)

How to read 駄

駄 is read da (だ) or ta (た) depending on the word.

Words with 駄

無駄

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Updated: 2026-08-28