匠 — “Artisan / Workman / Carpenter” in Japanese

Master (高手)しょう, たくみ

Radical ⼕ · radical 22 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Artisan / Workman / Carpenter” in Japanese is 匠, read shou, takumi (しょう, たくみ). 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 巨匠 (master, maestro).

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What does 匠 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	匠
Meaning	Artisan / Workman / Carpenter
Readings	しょう, たくみ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	巨匠 (master, maestro)

How to read 匠

匠 is read shou (しょう) or takumi (たくみ) depending on the word.

Words with 匠

巨匠

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Kanji read the same way as 匠

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

Updated: 2026-08-28