奨 — “Exhort / Urge / Encourage” in Japanese

Master (高手)しょう, そう, すす

Radical ⼤ · radical 37 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Exhort / Urge / Encourage” in Japanese is 奨, read shou, sou, susu (しょう, そう, すす). 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 奨学金 (scholarship).

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What does 奨 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	奨
Meaning	Exhort / Urge / Encourage
Readings	しょう, そう, すす
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	奨学金 (scholarship)

How to read 奨

奨 is read shou (しょう) or sou (そう) or susu (すす) depending on the word.

Words with 奨

奨学金

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Kanji read the same way as 奨

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

Updated: 2026-08-28