掌 — “Manipulate / Rule / Administer / Conduct” in Japanese

Master (高手)しょう, てのひら, たなごころ

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

“Manipulate / Rule / Administer / Conduct” in Japanese is 掌, read shou, tenohira, tanagokoro (しょう, てのひら, たなごころ). 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 車掌 (train conductor).

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What does 掌 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	掌
Meaning	Manipulate / Rule / Administer / Conduct
Readings	しょう, てのひら, たなごころ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	車掌 (train conductor)

How to read 掌

掌 is read shou (しょう) or tenohira (てのひら) or tanagokoro (たなごころ) depending on the word.

Words with 掌

車掌

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Kanji read the same way as 掌

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

Updated: 2026-08-28