宵 — “Wee Hours / Evening / Early Night” in Japanese

Master (高手)しょう, よい

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

“Wee Hours / Evening / Early Night” in Japanese is 宵, read shou, yoi (しょう, よい). 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 宵 (early evening).

Try it now

What does 宵 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	宵
Meaning	Wee Hours / Evening / Early Night
Readings	しょう, よい
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	宵 (early evening)

How to read 宵

宵 is read shou (しょう) or yoi (よい) depending on the word.

Learn 宵 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 宵

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

Updated: 2026-08-28