鳴 — “to chirp / to ring” in Japanese

Grade 2めい, な

Radical ⿃ · radical 196 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to chirp / to ring” in Japanese is 鳴, read mei, na (めい, な). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 鳥が鳴く (birds chirp).

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What does 鳴 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	鳴
Meaning	to chirp / to ring
Readings	めい, な
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	鳥が鳴く (birds chirp)

How to read 鳴

鳴 is read mei (めい) or na (な) depending on the word.

Words with 鳴

鳥が鳴く

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Kanji read the same way as 鳴

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28