断 — refuse / cut off

Grade 5だん, ことわ, た

Radical ⽄ · radical 69 The building block this kanji is filed under

断 (readings: だん, ことわ, た; Japanese kanji) means “refuse / cut off”. It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 決断 (decision).

Try it now

What does 断 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	断
Meaning	refuse / cut off
Readings	だん, ことわ, た
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	決断 (decision)

How to read 断

断 is read だん or ことわ or た depending on the word.

Words with 断

判断はんだんphán đoán
横断đi ngang qua
決断quyết đoán
縦断cắt dọc
遮断chặn lại
断崖vách đá dựng đứng

Learn 断 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