僧 — “Buddhist Priest / Monk” in Japanese

Master (高手)そう

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

“Buddhist Priest / Monk” in Japanese is 僧, read sou (そう). 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 僧侶 (monk).

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What does 僧 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	僧
Meaning	Buddhist Priest / Monk
Readings	そう
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	僧侶 (monk)

How to read 僧

僧 is read sou (そう) depending on the word.

Words with 僧

僧侶
尼僧

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Kanji read the same way as 僧

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

Updated: 2026-08-28