坊 — “Boy / Priest's Residence / Priest” in Japanese

Master (高手)ぼう, ぼっ

Radical ⼟ · radical 32 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Boy / Priest's Residence / Priest” in Japanese is 坊, read bou, bo (ぼう, ぼっ). 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 赤ん坊 (baby).

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What does 坊 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	坊
Meaning	Boy / Priest's Residence / Priest
Readings	ぼう, ぼっ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	赤ん坊 (baby)

How to read 坊

坊 is read bou (ぼう) or bo (ぼっ) depending on the word.

Words with 坊

赤ん坊

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Kanji read the same way as 坊

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

Updated: 2026-08-28