玉 — jewel / ball

Grade 1ぎょく, たま

Radical ⽟ · radical 96 The building block this kanji is filed under

玉 (readings: ぎょく, たま; Japanese kanji) means “jewel / ball”. It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 目玉 (eyeball).

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What does 玉 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	玉
Meaning	jewel / ball
Readings	ぎょく, たま
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	目玉 (eyeball)

How to read 玉

玉 is read ぎょく or たま depending on the word.

Words with 玉

花火玉はなびだまquả pháo hoa
目玉nhãn cầu
埼玉県Saitama

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Updated: 2026-08-09