僚 — “Colleague / Official / Companion” in Japanese

Master (高手)りょう

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

“Colleague / Official / Companion” in Japanese is 僚, 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 同僚 (colleague).

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What does 僚 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	僚
Meaning	Colleague / Official / Companion
Readings	りょう
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	同僚 (colleague)

How to read 僚

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

Words with 僚

同僚

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Kanji read the same way as 僚

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

Updated: 2026-08-28