# 効 — effect; efficacy

効 means “effect; efficacy”. It is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 8 strokes. On'yomi: コウ (kou). Kun'yomi: き(く) (kiku), ききめ (kikime). You'll see it in words such as 効く (kiku, “to be effective; to take effect”).

- Meaning: effect; efficacy
- On'yomi: コウ (kou)
- Kun'yomi: き(く) (kiku), ききめ (kikime)
- Strokes: 8
- Level: JLPT N3 · set Qualities 4

## How to remember 効

Mix (交) it with power (力) and it takes effect.

Sounds like 交: both read コウ.

Parts: 交 mix · 力 power

## Words with 効

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 効く | きく (kiku) | to be effective; to take effect |
| 効 | こう (kou) | efficacy; benefit |
| 効き | きき (kiki) | effectiveness; efficacy |

## Don't confuse it with

[交](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/mix/) · [校](https://moji.ninja/n5-kanji/school/) · [郊](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/suburbs/)

## More in the “Qualities 4” set

[深](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/deep/) · [況](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/situation/) · [良](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/good/) · [専](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/exclusive/) · [細](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/thin/) · [効](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/effect/) · [易](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/easy/) · [速](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/fast/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/effect/. Last updated 2026-11-01.