将 — “general / about to” in Japanese

Grade 6しょう, まさ

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“general / about to” in Japanese is 将, read shou, masa (しょう, まさ). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 将来 (the future).

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What does 将 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	将
Meaning	general / about to
Readings	しょう, まさ
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	将来 (the future)

How to read 将

将 is read shou (しょう) or masa (まさ) depending on the word.

Words with 将

主将しゅしょう
将来しょうらい
将棋

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Kanji read the same way as 将

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Updated: 2026-08-28