承 — “consent / receive” in Japanese

Grade 5しょう, う

Radical ⼿ · radical 64 The building block this kanji is filed under

“consent / receive” in Japanese is 承, read shou, u (しょう, う). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 承認 (approval).

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What does 承 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	承
Meaning	consent / receive
Readings	しょう, う
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	承認 (approval)

How to read 承

承 is read shou (しょう) or u (う) depending on the word.

Words with 承

承認
承諾

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Kanji read the same way as 承

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

Updated: 2026-08-28