Explore 灰 in everyday objects, colors and volcanic contexts. Learn the reading together with each complete word.
The idea
灰 has six strokes. Follow the linked diagram to write it; 灰（はい） means ash, 灰皿（はいざら） is an ashtray, 灰色（はいいろ） is gray, and 火山灰（かざんばい） is volcanic ash.
Examples
- 暖炉に灰が残っています。Ash remains in the fireplace.
- 灰をこの容器に入れてください。Please put the ash in this container.
- テーブルの上に灰皿があります。There is an ashtray on the table.
- 灰色のコートを買いました。I bought a gray coat.
- 町に火山灰が降りました。Volcanic ash fell on the town.
- 今日の空は灰色です。The sky is gray today.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Japanese device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
The reading changes from はい to ばい in 火山灰. Learn the compound as a whole; 灰色 names a color, not necessarily actual ash.
Try it yourself
Write the reading of 灰 in hiragana.
Show answer or example answer
はい
灰 is はい: the ash left in the fireplace is 灰.
Write the reading of 灰皿 in hiragana.
Show answer or example answer
はいざら
灰皿 is はいざら, an ashtray; learn ざら as part of the whole word.
Choose the missing kanji: 火山＿（かざんばい）［灰／色］.
Show answer or example answer
灰
灰 completes 火山灰（かざんばい）, volcanic ash; its reading is voiced here.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
Write the reading of 灰 in hiragana.
Write the reading of 灰皿 in hiragana.
Choose the missing kanji: 火山＿（かざんばい）［灰／色］.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
Sign up for free to save your practice results in your account.
Sign up to saveI already have an accountUse it today
Write 灰 using the stroke diagram, then cover the examples and make a sentence with 灰色.