愁 — “Distress / Grieve / Lament / Be Anxious” in Japanese

Master (高手)しゅう, うれ

Radical ⼼ · radical 61 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Distress / Grieve / Lament / Be Anxious” in Japanese is 愁, read shuu, ure (しゅう, うれ). 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 愁い (sorrow).

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What does 愁 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	愁
Meaning	Distress / Grieve / Lament / Be Anxious
Readings	しゅう, うれ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	愁い (sorrow)

How to read 愁

愁 is read shuu (しゅう) or ure (うれ) depending on the word.

Words with 愁

哀愁
愁い

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Kanji read the same way as 愁

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

Updated: 2026-08-28