校 — “school” in Japanese

Grade 1こう

Radical ⽊ · radical 75 The building block this kanji is filed under

“school” in Japanese is 校, read kou (こう). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 学校 (school).

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What does 校 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	校
Meaning	school
Readings	こう
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	学校 (school)

How to read 校

校 is read kou (こう) depending on the word.

Words with 校

学校がっこう
高校こうこう
小学校しょうがっこう
学校中がっこうじゅう
中学校ちゅうがっこう
校長
校門
校舎

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Kanji read the same way as 校

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28