# 貝 — shellfish; seashell

貝 means “shellfish; seashell”. It is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 7 strokes.  Kun'yomi: かい (kai). You'll see it in words such as 貝 (kai, “shellfish”).

- Meaning: shellfish; seashell
- On'yomi: —
- Kun'yomi: かい (kai)
- Strokes: 7
- Level: JLPT N3 · set Animals

## How to remember 貝

Parts: 目 eye · 八 eight; spreading legs

## Words with 貝

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 貝 | かい (kai) | shellfish |

## Don't confuse it with

[員](https://moji.ninja/n4-kanji/member/) · [負](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/be-defeated/) · [則](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/rule/) · [貢](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/tribute/)

## More in the “Animals” set

[象](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/elephant/) · [馬](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/horse/) · [羽](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/feather/) · [鹿](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/deer/) · [熊](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/bear-animal/) · [鳴](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/chirp/) · [虫](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/insect/) · [猫](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/cat/) · [貝](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/shellfish/)

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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/shellfish/. Last updated 2026-11-01.