好 — “like / fond” in Japanese

Grade 4こう, す, よ

Radical ⼥ · radical 38 The building block this kanji is filed under

“like / fond” in Japanese is 好, read kou, su, yo (こう, す, よ). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 好き (to like).

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What does 好 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	好
Meaning	like / fond
Readings	こう, す, よ
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	好き (to like)

How to read 好

好 is read kou (こう) or su (す) or yo (よ) depending on the word.

Words with 好

好きlike / fond
良好

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Kanji read the same way as 好

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28