序 — “order / sequence” in Japanese

Grade 5じょ

Radical ⼴ · radical 53 The building block this kanji is filed under

“order / sequence” in Japanese is 序, read jo (じょ). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 序列 (hierarchy).

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What does 序 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	序
Meaning	order / sequence
Readings	じょ
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	序列 (hierarchy)

How to read 序

序 is read jo (じょ) depending on the word.

Words with 序

序列
秩序

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Kanji read the same way as 序

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

女じょ woman
助じょ to help
除じょ to remove

Updated: 2026-08-28