症 — “Symptoms / Illness” in Japanese

Master (高手)しょう

Radical ⽧ · radical 104 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Symptoms / Illness” in Japanese is 症, read shou (しょう). 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 症状 (symptoms).

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What does 症 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	症
Meaning	Symptoms / Illness
Readings	しょう
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	症状 (symptoms)

How to read 症

症 is read shou (しょう) depending on the word.

Words with 症

症状

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Kanji read the same way as 症

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

Updated: 2026-08-28