更 — “Grow Late / Night Watch / Sit Up Late / Of Course” in Japanese

Master (高手)こう, さら, ふ

Radical ⽈ · radical 73 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Grow Late / Night Watch / Sit Up Late / Of Course” in Japanese is 更, read kou, sara, fu (こう, さら, ふ). 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 更新 (renewal, update).

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What does 更 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	更
Meaning	Grow Late / Night Watch / Sit Up Late / Of Course
Readings	こう, さら, ふ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	更新 (renewal, update)

How to read 更

更 is read kou (こう) or sara (さら) or fu (ふ) depending on the word.

Words with 更

更新
更迭

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Kanji read the same way as 更

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

Updated: 2026-08-28