役 — role / duty

Grade 3やく, えき

Radical ⼻ · radical 60 The building block this kanji is filed under

役 (readings: やく, えき; Japanese kanji) means “role / duty”. It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 役所 (government office).

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What does 役 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	役
Meaning	role / duty
Readings	やく, えき
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	役所 (government office)

How to read 役

役 is read やく or えき depending on the word.

Words with 役

役立やくだcó ích
役目やくめvai trò
役割やくわりvai trò
役所cơ quan
脇役vai phụ

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Updated: 2026-08-09