相 — “mutual / appearance” in Japanese

Grade 3そう, しょう, あい

Radical ⽬ · radical 109 The building block this kanji is filed under

“mutual / appearance” in Japanese is 相, read sou, shou, ai (そう, しょう, あい). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 相手 (the other party).

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What does 相 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	相
Meaning	mutual / appearance
Readings	そう, しょう, あい
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	相手 (the other party)

How to read 相

相 is read sou (そう) or shou (しょう) or ai (あい) depending on the word.

Words with 相

相手あいて
相次あいつ
相談そうだん
相互
相撲
宰相

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Kanji read the same way as 相

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28