助 — “to help” in Japanese

Grade 3じょ, たす, すけ

Radical ⼒ · radical 19 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to help” in Japanese is 助, read jo, tasu, suke (じょ, たす, すけ). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 助ける (to help).

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What does 助 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	助
Meaning	to help
Readings	じょ, たす, すけ
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	助ける (to help)

How to read 助

助 is read jo (じょ) or tasu (たす) or suke (すけ) depending on the word.

Words with 助

救助
補助
援助
扶助
助けるto help

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Kanji read the same way as 助

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28