囚 — “Captured / Criminal / Arrest / Catch” in Japanese

Master (高手)しゅう, とら

Radical ⼞ · radical 31 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Captured / Criminal / Arrest / Catch” in Japanese is 囚, read shuu, tora (しゅう, とら). 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 囚人 (prisoner).

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What does 囚 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	囚
Meaning	Captured / Criminal / Arrest / Catch
Readings	しゅう, とら
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	囚人 (prisoner)

How to read 囚

囚 is read shuu (しゅう) or tora (とら) depending on the word.

Words with 囚

囚人

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Kanji read the same way as 囚

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

Updated: 2026-08-28