桑 — “Mulberry” in Japanese

Master (高手)そう, くわ

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

“Mulberry” in Japanese is 桑, read sou, kuwa (そう, くわ). 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 桑 (mulberry).

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What does 桑 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	桑
Meaning	Mulberry
Readings	そう, くわ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	桑 (mulberry)

How to read 桑

桑 is read sou (そう) or kuwa (くわ) depending on the word.

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Kanji read the same way as 桑

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

Updated: 2026-08-28