鹿 — “deer / Kagoshima” in Japanese

Grade 4しか, か

Radical ⿅ · radical 198 The building block this kanji is filed under

“deer / Kagoshima” in Japanese is 鹿, read shika, ka (しか, か). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 鹿児島 (Kagoshima).

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What does 鹿 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	鹿
Meaning	deer / Kagoshima
Readings	しか, か
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	鹿児島 (Kagoshima)

How to read 鹿

鹿 is read shika (しか) or ka (か) depending on the word.

Words with 鹿

子鹿こじか
鹿児島

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Kanji read the same way as 鹿

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

然しか so / -like

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Updated: 2026-08-28