了 — “Complete / Finish” in Japanese

Master (高手)りょう

Radical ⼅ · radical 6 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Complete / Finish” in Japanese is 了, read ryou (りょう). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 完了 (completion).

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What does 了 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	了
Meaning	Complete / Finish
Readings	りょう
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	完了 (completion)

How to read 了

了 is read ryou (りょう) depending on the word.

Words with 了

完了

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Kanji read the same way as 了

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28