曹 — “Office / Official / Comrade / Fellow” in Japanese

Master (高手)そう, ぞう

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

“Office / Official / Comrade / Fellow” in Japanese is 曹, read sou, zou (そう, ぞう). 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).

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What does 曹 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	曹
Meaning	Office / Official / Comrade / Fellow
Readings	そう, ぞう
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	軍曹 (sergeant)

How to read 曹

曹 is read sou (そう) or zou (ぞう) depending on the word.

Words with 曹

軍曹

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Kanji read the same way as 曹

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

Updated: 2026-08-28