善 — good / virtuous

Grade 6ぜん, よ

Radical ⼝ · radical 30 The building block this kanji is filed under

善 (readings: ぜん, よ; Japanese kanji) means “good / virtuous”. It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 善意 (goodwill).

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What does 善 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	善
Meaning	good / virtuous
Readings	ぜん, よ
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	善意 (goodwill)

How to read 善

善 is read ぜん or よ depending on the word.

Words with 善

改善cải thiện
善意thiện chí

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Updated: 2026-08-09