宗 — “religion” in Japanese

Grade 6しゅう, そう

Radical ⼧ · radical 40 The building block this kanji is filed under

“religion” in Japanese is 宗, read shuu, sou (しゅう, そう). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 宗教 (religion).

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What does 宗 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	宗
Meaning	religion
Readings	しゅう, そう
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	宗教 (religion)

How to read 宗

宗 is read shuu (しゅう) or sou (そう) depending on the word.

Words with 宗

宗教
禅宗

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Updated: 2026-08-28