様 — “manner / Mr./Ms.” in Japanese

Grade 3よう, さま

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

“manner / Mr./Ms.” in Japanese is 様, read you, sama (よう, さま). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as お客様 (honored customer).

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What does 様 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	様
Meaning	manner / Mr./Ms.
Readings	よう, さま
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	お客様 (honored customer)

How to read 様

様 is read you (よう) or sama (さま) depending on the word.

Words with 様

様子ようす
模様もよう
お客様

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Kanji read the same way as 様

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28