姓 — “Surname” in Japanese

Master (高手)せい, しょう

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

“Surname” in Japanese is 姓, read sei, shou (せい, しょう). 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 姓名 (full name).

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What does 姓 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	姓
Meaning	Surname
Readings	せい, しょう
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	姓名 (full name)

How to read 姓

姓 is read sei (せい) or shou (しょう) depending on the word.

Words with 姓

姓名

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Kanji read the same way as 姓

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

Updated: 2026-08-28