彫 — “Carve / Engrave / Chisel” in Japanese

Master (高手)ちょう, ほ, -ぼ

Radical ⼺ · radical 59 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Carve / Engrave / Chisel” in Japanese is 彫, read chou, ho, bo (ちょう, ほ, -ぼ). 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 彫刻 (sculpture).

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What does 彫 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	彫
Meaning	Carve / Engrave / Chisel
Readings	ちょう, ほ, -ぼ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	彫刻 (sculpture)

How to read 彫

彫 is read chou (ちょう) or ho (ほ) or bo (-ぼ) depending on the word.

Words with 彫

彫刻
彫塑

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Kanji read the same way as 彫

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

Updated: 2026-08-28