商 — “commerce / trade” in Japanese

Grade 3しょう, あきな

Radical ⼝ · radical 30 The building block this kanji is filed under

“commerce / trade” in Japanese is 商, read shou, akina (しょう, あきな). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 商品 (goods).

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What does 商 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	商
Meaning	commerce / trade
Readings	しょう, あきな
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	商品 (goods)

How to read 商

商 is read shou (しょう) or akina (あきな) depending on the word.

Words with 商

商業しょうぎょう
商品

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Kanji read the same way as 商

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28