持 — to hold / to have

Grade 3じ, も

Radical ⼿ · radical 64 The building block this kanji is filed under

持 (readings: じ, も; Japanese kanji) means “to hold / to have”. It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 持つ (to hold).

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What does 持 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	持
Meaning	to hold / to have
Readings	じ, も
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	持つ (to hold)

How to read 持

持 is read じ or も depending on the word.

Words with 持

持つcầm/giữ
維持duy trì
力持ちngười khỏe

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Updated: 2026-08-09