教 — “to teach / education” in Japanese

Grade 2きょう, おし, おそ

Radical ⽁ · radical 66 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to teach / education” in Japanese is 教, read kyou, oshi, oso (きょう, おし, おそ). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 教室 (classroom).

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What does 教 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	教
Meaning	to teach / education
Readings	きょう, おし, おそ
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	教室 (classroom)

How to read 教

教 is read kyou (きょう) or oshi (おし) or oso (おそ) depending on the word.

Words with 教

教室きょうしつ
仏教ぶっきょう
教育
宗教
儒教
准教授

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Kanji read the same way as 教

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28