声 — “voice / sound” in Japanese

Grade 2せい, しょう, こえ

Radical ⼠ · radical 33 The building block this kanji is filed under

“voice / sound” in Japanese is 声, read sei, shou, koe (せい, しょう, こえ). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 大声 (loud voice).

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What does 声 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	声
Meaning	voice / sound
Readings	せい, しょう, こえ
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	大声 (loud voice)

How to read 声

声 is read sei (せい) or shou (しょう) or koe (こえ) depending on the word.

Words with 声

大声

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Kanji read the same way as 声

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28