勇 — “brave / courage” in Japanese

Grade 4ゆう, いさ

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

“brave / courage” in Japanese is 勇, read yuu, isa (ゆう, いさ). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 勇気 (courage).

Try it now

What does 勇 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	勇
Meaning	brave / courage
Readings	ゆう, いさ
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	勇気 (courage)

How to read 勇

勇 is read yuu (ゆう) or isa (いさ) depending on the word.

Words with 勇

勇気
勇敢

Learn 勇 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 勇

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

Read this character in a real sentence

🏹 Yabusame: Japan's 800-year-old horseback archery where riders hit 3 targets in 20 seconds Grade 6

Updated: 2026-08-28