Meaning
At its core, 控 is about holding back, restraining oneself, or keeping something in reserve. When you encounter 控 in Japanese, it almost always signals that someone or something is being modest, moderate, or restrained — whether by personal choice, social convention, or legal procedure.
The character is composed of two parts: the 手偏 (扌), the hand radical on the left side, and 空 (meaning empty or hollow) on the right. Visually, you can picture a hand pausing over empty space — a hand that reaches out but deliberately stops short. This is a classic phono-semantic compound: 扌 provides the meaning (hand → a physical act of controlling or holding), while 空 provides the approximate sound (コウ). Together they evoke a hand that creates space by holding back.
控 has 11 strokes and sits at grade 8, meaning it belongs to the secondary education and adult-use level in Japan. It was formally included in the revised Joyo kanji list. While it may not pop up in casual small talk, 控 is essential in written Japanese — especially in legal, financial, and business documents. Knowing it opens up a wide range of formal vocabulary that appears constantly on tax forms and in courtrooms.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi reading of 控 is コウ. This reading appears almost exclusively in formal compound words. You will rarely hear it in everyday casual conversation, but it is extremely common in written Japanese — on tax forms, in courtrooms, and in administrative paperwork. Two high-frequency N1 words use this reading, and both show up regularly on the JLPT.
- 控訴 (kōso) — legal appeal to a higher court; the act of challenging a court ruling by bringing the case to a superior court
- 控除 (kōjo) — deduction, exemption; most commonly used in the context of taxes (reducing the taxable amount)
- 基礎控除 (kiso kōjo) — basic personal exemption; a standard deduction everyone can claim on Japanese tax returns
- 所得控除 (shotoku kōjo) — income deduction; reducing taxable income through eligible expenses
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi verb is ひか・える: to refrain from something, to hold back, to be moderate, or to jot down a note. The noun form is ひか・え: a reserve, a note, a copy of a document, or a waiting area.
These are the readings you will encounter most in daily life — on signs asking you to keep noise down, in conversations about diet and health, and whenever someone politely declines to comment on a matter.
- 控える (hikaeru) — to refrain from; to hold back; to moderate; to be in waiting; to note something down
- 控え (hikae) — a reserve, a note, a copy of a document, or a standby person/thing
- 控え室 (hikae-shitsu) — waiting room, anteroom (literally: the "hold-back room")
- 控え目 (hikae-me) — modest, reserved, restrained, conservative (describes a personality or a portion size)
Common Words & Compounds
控 turns up across very different contexts — courtrooms, tax forms, sports benches, and dinner tables. Grouping the words by situation makes them much easier to retain.
Legal & Administrative
- 控訴 (kōso) — legal appeal to a higher court
- 控訴院 (kōso-in) — court of appeals
- 控除 (kōjo) — tax deduction or exemption
- 医療費控除 (iryōhi kōjo) — medical expense deduction
- 税額控除 (zeigaku kōjo) — tax credit
Everyday Life & Personality
- 控え目 (hikae-me) — modest, reserved; used for personality or describing small/light portions
- 控え室 (hikae-shitsu) — waiting room, anteroom
- 控え選手 (hikae senshu) — reserve player, bench player in sports
- 控え書き (hikae-gaki) — memorandum, handwritten note
Combined verb phrases
- 飲み控える (nomi-hikaeru) — to cut back on drinking
- 食べ控える (tabe-hikaeru) — to eat moderately, to hold back on eating
- 発言を控える (hatsugen wo hikaeru) — to refrain from making a comment or statement
Example Sentences
健康のために、塩分を控えています。
Kenkō no tame ni, enbun wo hikaete imasu.
I'm cutting back on salt for my health.
この件についてはコメントを控えさせていただきます。
Kono ken ni tsuite wa komento wo hikae-sasete itadakimasu.
I will refrain from commenting on this matter.
病院の控え室で待っていてください。
Byōin no hikae-shitsu de matte ite kudasai.
Please wait in the hospital waiting room.
彼女は控え目な性格で、あまり自分の意見を言わない。
Kanojo wa hikae-me na seikaku de, amari jibun no iken wo iwanai.
She has a reserved personality and rarely voices her own opinions.
確定申告で医療費控除を申請した。
Kakutei-shinkoku de iryōhi-kōjo wo shinsei shita.
I applied for a medical expense deduction on my tax return.
裁判所に控訴する権利があります。
Saibansho ni kōso suru kenri ga arimasu.
You have the right to appeal to the court.
会議の内容を控えに書いておいた。
Kaigi no naiyō wo hikae ni kaite oita.
I wrote down the contents of the meeting as a note for reference.
試合に出られなかったが、控え選手として準備を続けた。
Shiai ni derarenakatta ga, hikae senshu to shite junbi wo tsuzuketa.
I couldn't play in the game, but I kept preparing as a reserve player.
夜はカフェインを控えた方がいいですよ。
Yoru wa kafein wo hikaeta hō ga ii desu yo.
You'd be better off cutting back on caffeine at night, you know.
彼は感情を表に出すことを控え、いつも冷静に見える。
Kare wa kanjō wo omote ni dasu koto wo hikae, itsumo reisei ni mieru.
He refrains from showing his emotions and always appears calm.
Memory Tip
Picture the kanji 控 as a hand (扌) hovering above empty space (空). Imagine someone at a buffet, reaching for a second helping — then freezing, hand suspended in midair over an empty plate, pulling back just before taking too much. That suspended moment of deliberate restraint is exactly what 控 means.
Whether you are refraining from speaking, deducting an amount from a tax total, or sitting on the bench as a reserve player, 控 is the kanji of the hand that knows when to stop. It is also the character of the polite waiting room, the quiet refusal, and the legal appeal that says "not so fast."