宰 — “Superintend / Manager / Rule” in Japanese

Master (高手)さい

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

“Superintend / Manager / Rule” in Japanese is 宰, read sai (さい). 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 宰相 (prime minister).

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What does 宰 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	宰
Meaning	Superintend / Manager / Rule
Readings	さい
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	宰相 (prime minister)

How to read 宰

宰 is read sai (さい) depending on the word.

Words with 宰

宰相

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Kanji read the same way as 宰

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

Updated: 2026-08-28