書 — “to write / book” in Japanese

Grade 2しょ, か

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

“to write / book” in Japanese is 書, read sho, ka (しょ, か). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 図書館 (library).

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What does 書 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	書
Meaning	to write / book
Readings	しょ, か
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	図書館 (library)

How to read 書

書 is read sho (しょ) or ka (か) depending on the word.

Words with 書

読書
辞書
書斎
詔書
楷書
図書館

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Kanji read the same way as 書

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28