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What is the Kanji for 'Cold'? | 冷

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for 'Cold', you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for 'Cold' is 冷.

    kanji

    Meaning

    Cold

    Reading

    kunyomi

    sa

    hi

    つめ

    tsume

    onyomiれい

    rei

    Parts

    Ice (水)Orders

    Example Word

    冷凍: freezing. The Japanese verbal noun '冷凍 (れいとう)' means 'freezing'. It refers to the process of preserving food or other items by lowering their temperature to below freezing point. This term is commonly used in contexts related to food storage, such as in supermarkets or home kitchens. For example: I froze the fish「魚を冷凍した」(さかなをれいとうした). This meat is frozen「この肉は冷凍されている」(このにくはれいとうされている). It's important to note that '冷凍' is often used in compound words, such as '冷凍庫 (れいとうこ) (freezer)' or '冷凍食品 (れいとうしょくひん) (frozen food)'.

    Radical

    Stroke Count

    7

    JLPT

    N3

    Grade

    4

    Frequency

    544

    Handwriting

Parts of the Kanji

If you visually break down this kanji, you can see it is made up of 2 parts:

    radical

    Meaning

    Ice

    Radical Form Of

    kanji

    Meaning

    Orders

Words Using

This kanji is used in 13 words:

    word

    冷える

    Meaning

    Cool

    word

    冷蔵庫

    Meaning

    Refrigerator

    word

    冷房

    Meaning

    Air conditioning

    word

    冷たい

    Meaning

    Cold

    word

    冷ます

    Meaning

    Cool

    word

    冷蔵

    Meaning

    Refrigeration

    word

    冷める

    Meaning

    Cool

    word

    冷やす

    Meaning

    Cool

    word

    冷え込む

    Meaning

    Chill

    word

    冷やかす

    Meaning

    Tease

    word

    冷凍

    Meaning

    Freezing

    word

    冷静

    Meaning

    Calm

    word

    冷淡

    Meaning

    Indifferent

Kanji Related to Through the Part

These 13 kanji contain the part 冫 as well.

    kanji

    Meaning

    Weak

    kanji

    Meaning

    Winter

    kanji

    Meaning

    North

    kanji

    Meaning

    Feather

    kanji

    Meaning

    Music, Pleasure

    kanji

    Meaning

    Cold

    kanji

    Meaning

    Next

    kanji

    Meaning

    Freeze, Frozen

    kanji

    Meaning

    Congeal

    kanji

    Meaning

    Approve, Semi

    kanji

    Meaning

    Base, Small fort

    kanji

    Meaning

    Nifty

    kanji

    Meaning

    Melting, Smelting

Kanji Related to Through the Part

These 5 kanji contain the part 令 as well.

    kanji

    Meaning

    Command, Life

    kanji

    Meaning

    Territory

    kanji

    Meaning

    Age

    kanji

    Meaning

    Small bell, Buzzer

    kanji

    Meaning

    Zero

Learn the Kanji

Let's make sure you fully understand this kanji.

What does 冷 mean?

冷 means 'Cold'.

Japanese school students learn this kanji in Fourth Grade, while non-native learners often study it for the JLPT N3 exam.

To help you master this kanji, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.