Back to dictionary
JLPT N26画 · 6 strokesradical 火grade 6freq #1200

ash

On'yomi (音読み)

  • カイ

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • はい

Mnemonic

After the fire, a soldier's uniform was covered in gray ash, reminding everyone of the battle fought.

About this kanji

The kanji 灰 means 'ash' and is commonly read as 'はい' in kun'yomi. It is mostly used as a noun. You can find it in various compounds like 灰塵 (かいじん), which means 'ashes,' and 灰色 (はいいろ), meaning 'gray,' reflecting the color of ash. Another example is 灰皿 (はいざら), which translates to 'ashtray,' a place for collecting ashes. This kanji is useful in everyday conversations, especially when discussing fire-related topics or describing colors that resemble ash. Note that although it primarily conveys the idea of ash, it can also connect to concepts of sadness and loss in more poetic uses.

Built from

Example sentences

  • 焚き火の灰が残っている。

    There are remains of the campfire ashes.

Meanings across languages

English
ash
Tiếng Việt
tro
日本語
はい
한국어
中文
id
abu
th
เถ้า
es
ceniza
fr
cendre
de
Asche
pt
cinzas

Common compounds

  • 灰塵かいじんashes, dust
  • 灰色はいいろgray, ash color
  • 灰燼かいじんashes
  • 灰皿はいざらashtray

Want to actually learn this kanji?

The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.