候 — “season / symptom” in Japanese

Grade 4こう

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

“season / symptom” in Japanese is 候, read kou (こう). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 天候 (weather).

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What does 候 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	候
Meaning	season / symptom
Readings	こう
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	天候 (weather)

How to read 候

候 is read kou (こう) depending on the word.

Words with 候

気候きこう
天候
兆候

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Kanji read the same way as 候

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28