極 — pole / extreme

Grade 4きょく, ごく, きわ

Radical ⽊ · radical 75 The building block this kanji is filed under

極 (readings: きょく, ごく, きわ; Japanese kanji) means “pole / extreme”. It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 北極 (North Pole).

Try it now

What does 極 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	極
Meaning	pole / extreme
Readings	きょく, ごく, きわ
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	北極 (North Pole)

How to read 極

極 is read きょく or ごく or きわ depending on the word.

Words with 極

積極せっきょくtích cực
北極Bắc cực

Learn 極 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