鮮 — “Fresh / Vivid / Clear / Brilliant” in Japanese

Master (高手)せん, あざ

Radical ⿂ · radical 195 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Fresh / Vivid / Clear / Brilliant” in Japanese is 鮮, read sen, aza (せん, あざ). 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 新鮮 (fresh).

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What does 鮮 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	鮮
Meaning	Fresh / Vivid / Clear / Brilliant
Readings	せん, あざ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	新鮮 (fresh)

How to read 鮮

鮮 is read sen (せん) or aza (あざ) depending on the word.

Words with 鮮

新鮮

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Kanji read the same way as 鮮

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

Updated: 2026-08-28