曽 — “Formerly / Once / Before / Ever” in Japanese

Master (高手)そう, そ, ぞう, かつ, かつて, すなわち

Radical ⽇ · radical 72 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Formerly / Once / Before / Ever” in Japanese is 曽, read sou, so, zou (そう, そ, ぞう, かつ, かつて, すなわち). 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 曽祖父 (great-grandfather).

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What does 曽 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	曽
Meaning	Formerly / Once / Before / Ever
Readings	そう, そ, ぞう, かつ, かつて, すなわち
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	曽祖父 (great-grandfather)

How to read 曽

曽 is read sou (そう) or so (そ) or zou (ぞう) or katsu (かつ) or katsute (かつて) or sunawachi (すなわち) depending on the word.

Words with 曽

曽祖父

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Kanji read the same way as 曽

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

Updated: 2026-08-28