堂 — “hall / temple” in Japanese

Grade 4どう

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

“hall / temple” in Japanese is 堂, read dou (どう). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 食堂 (dining hall / cafeteria).

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What does 堂 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	堂
Meaning	hall / temple
Readings	どう
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	食堂 (dining hall / cafeteria)

How to read 堂

堂 is read dou (どう) depending on the word.

Words with 堂

食堂

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Kanji read the same way as 堂

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

Updated: 2026-08-28