求 — “seek / request” in Japanese

Grade 4きゅう, もと

Radical ⽔ · radical 85 The building block this kanji is filed under

“seek / request” in Japanese is 求, read kyuu, moto (きゅう, もと). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 要求 (demand).

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What does 求 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	求
Meaning	seek / request
Readings	きゅう, もと
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	要求 (demand)

How to read 求

求 is read kyuu (きゅう) or moto (もと) depending on the word.

Words with 求

要求

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Kanji read the same way as 求

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

Updated: 2026-08-28