正 — “correct / right” in Japanese

Grade 1せい, しょう, ただ, まさ

Radical ⽌ · radical 77 The building block this kanji is filed under

“correct / right” in Japanese is 正, read sei, shou, tada (せい, しょう, ただ, まさ). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 正しい (correct).

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What does 正 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	正
Meaning	correct / right
Readings	せい, しょう, ただ, まさ
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	正しい (correct)

How to read 正

正 is read sei (せい) or shou (しょう) or tada (ただ) or masa (まさ) depending on the word.

Words with 正

正体しょうたい
規則正きそくただ
訂正
矯正
正しいcorrect / right

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Kanji read the same way as 正

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28