冗 — “Superfluous / Uselessness” in Japanese

Master (高手)じょう

Radical ⼍ · radical 14 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Superfluous / Uselessness” in Japanese is 冗, read jou (じょう). 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 冗談 (joke).

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What does 冗 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	冗
Meaning	Superfluous / Uselessness
Readings	じょう
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	冗談 (joke)

How to read 冗

冗 is read jou (じょう) depending on the word.

Words with 冗

冗談

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Kanji read the same way as 冗

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

Updated: 2026-08-28