優 — “superior / gentle” in Japanese

Grade 6ゆう, やさ, すぐ

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

“superior / gentle” in Japanese is 優, read yuu, yasa, sugu (ゆう, やさ, すぐ). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 優秀 (excellent).

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What does 優 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	優
Meaning	superior / gentle
Readings	ゆう, やさ, すぐ
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	優秀 (excellent)

How to read 優

優 is read yuu (ゆう) or yasa (やさ) or sugu (すぐ) depending on the word.

Words with 優

優勝ゆうしょう
優秀
優雅

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Kanji read the same way as 優

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28