尚 — “Esteem / Furthermore / Still / Yet” in Japanese

Master (高手)しょう, なお

Radical ⼩ · radical 42 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Esteem / Furthermore / Still / Yet” in Japanese is 尚, read shou, nao (しょう, なお). 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 高尚 (refined).

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What does 尚 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	尚
Meaning	Esteem / Furthermore / Still / Yet
Readings	しょう, なお
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	高尚 (refined)

How to read 尚

尚 is read shou (しょう) or nao (なお) depending on the word.

Words with 尚

高尚

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Kanji read the same way as 尚

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

Updated: 2026-08-28