黙 — “Silence / Become Silent / Stop Speaking / Leave As Is” in Japanese

Master (高手)もく, ぼく, だま, もだ

Radical ⽕ · radical 86 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Silence / Become Silent / Stop Speaking / Leave As Is” in Japanese is 黙, read moku, boku, dama (もく, ぼく, だま, もだ). 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 沈黙 (silence).

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What does 黙 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	黙
Meaning	Silence / Become Silent / Stop Speaking / Leave As Is
Readings	もく, ぼく, だま, もだ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	沈黙 (silence)

How to read 黙

黙 is read moku (もく) or boku (ぼく) or dama (だま) or moda (もだ) depending on the word.

Words with 黙

沈黙
寡黙

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Kanji read the same way as 黙

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

Updated: 2026-08-28