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黒
Kyōiku Kanji

黒 — “black” in Japanese

Grade 2こく, くろ
Radical ⿊ · radical 203 The building block this kanji is filed under

“black” in Japanese is 黒, read koku, kuro (こく, くろ). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 黒板 (blackboard).

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What does 黒 mean?

Full details, readings & example
Kanji黒
Meaningblack
Readingsこく, くろ
GradeGrade 2 (Easy)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example黒板 (blackboard)

How to read 黒

黒 is read koku (こく) or kuro (くろ) depending on the word.

Words with 黒

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Kanji read the same way as 黒

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28
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