共 — “together / shared” in Japanese

Grade 4きょう, とも

Radical ⼋ · radical 12 The building block this kanji is filed under

“together / shared” in Japanese is 共, read kyou, tomo (きょう, とも). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 共通 (common).

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What does 共 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	共
Meaning	together / shared
Readings	きょう, とも
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	共通 (common)

How to read 共

共 is read kyou (きょう) or tomo (とも) depending on the word.

Words with 共

公共こうきょう
公共料金こうきょうりょうきん
共通

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Kanji read the same way as 共

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28