拠 — “Foothold / Based On / Follow / Therefore” in Japanese

Master (高手)きょ, こ, よ

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

“Foothold / Based On / Follow / Therefore” in Japanese is 拠, read kyo, ko, yo (きょ, こ, よ). 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 根拠 (basis, grounds).

Try it now

What does 拠 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	拠
Meaning	Foothold / Based On / Follow / Therefore
Readings	きょ, こ, よ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	根拠 (basis, grounds)

How to read 拠

拠 is read kyo (きょ) or ko (こ) or yo (よ) depending on the word.

Words with 拠

根拠

Learn 拠 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 拠

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

Updated: 2026-08-28