放 — to release / to set free

Grade 3ほう, はな, ほう

Radical ⽁ · radical 66 The building block this kanji is filed under

放 (readings: ほう, はな, ほう; Japanese kanji) means “to release / to set free”. It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 放送 (broadcasting).

Try it now

What does 放 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	放
Meaning	to release / to set free
Readings	ほう, はな, ほう
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	放送 (broadcasting)

How to read 放

放 is read ほう or はな or ほう depending on the word.

Words with 放

開放かいほうmở cửa
放電ほうでんphóng điện
放送phát sóng
放棄từ bỏ

Learn 放 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,026 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-09