勝 — “to win” in Japanese

Grade 3しょう, か

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

“to win” in Japanese is 勝, read shou, ka (しょう, か). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 勝つ (to win).

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What does 勝 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	勝
Meaning	to win
Readings	しょう, か
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	勝つ (to win)

How to read 勝

勝 is read shou (しょう) or ka (か) depending on the word.

Words with 勝

勝利しょうり
快勝かいしょう
勝因しょういん
優勝ゆうしょう
勝ちかちto win
決勝けっしょう
勝負しょうぶ
準決勝じゅんけっしょう
決勝戦けっしょうせん
決勝進出けっしょうしんしゅつ

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Kanji read the same way as 勝

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28