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KanjiGrade 2 › 妹
Kyōiku Kanji

妹 — younger sister

Grade 2まい, いもうと
Radical ⼥ · radical 38 The building block this kanji is filed under

妹 (readings: まい, いもうと; Japanese kanji) means “younger sister”. It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 姉妹 (sisters).

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What does 妹 mean?

Full details, readings & example
Kanji
Meaningyounger sister
Readingsまい, いもうと
GradeGrade 2 (Easy)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example姉妹 (sisters)

How to read 妹

妹 is read まい or いもうと depending on the word.

Words with 妹

  • chị em
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Updated: 2026-08-09
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