使 — “to use” in Japanese

Grade 3し, つか

Radical ⼈ · radical 9 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to use” in Japanese is 使, read shi, tsuka (し, つか). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 使う (to use).

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What does 使 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	使
Meaning	to use
Readings	し, つか
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	使う (to use)

How to read 使

使 is read shi (し) or tsuka (つか) depending on the word.

Words with 使

使用
使うto use
駆使

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Kanji read the same way as 使

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

仕つか to serve / work

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28