宵 — Wee Hours / Evening / Early Night

Master (高手)しょう, よい

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

宵 (readings: しょう, よい; Japanese kanji) means “Wee Hours / Evening / Early Night”. 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).

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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 しょう or よい depending on the word.

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Updated: 2026-07-22