尉 — “Military Officer / Jailer / Old Man / Rank” in Japanese

Master (高手)い, じょう

Radical ⼨ · radical 41 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Military Officer / Jailer / Old Man / Rank” in Japanese is 尉, read i, jou (い, じょう). 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 大尉 (captain).

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What does 尉 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	尉
Meaning	Military Officer / Jailer / Old Man / Rank
Readings	い, じょう
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	大尉 (captain)

How to read 尉

尉 is read i (い) or jou (じょう) depending on the word.

Words with 尉

大尉

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Kanji read the same way as 尉

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

Updated: 2026-08-28