KanjiSchool KanjiSchool
KanjiMaster › 曹
Secondary-school Jōyō Kanji

曹 — Office / Official / Comrade / Fellow

Master (高手)そう, ぞう
Radical ⽈ · radical 73 The building block this kanji is filed under

曹 (readings: そう, ぞう; Japanese kanji) means “Office / Official / Comrade / Fellow”. 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 軍曹 (sergeant).

Try it now

What does 曹 mean?

Full details, readings & example
Kanji
MeaningOffice / Official / Comrade / Fellow
Readingsそう, ぞう
GradeMaster (高手 · secondary school)
CurriculumJōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example軍曹 (sergeant)

How to read 曹

曹 is read そう or ぞう depending on the word.

Words with 曹

  • trung sĩ
Learn 曹 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 — 1,026 ready to learn now.
Start free — no credit card →
Updated: 2026-07-22
Learn 曹 the way Japanese kids do Start free