礎 — “Cornerstone / Foundation Stone” in Japanese

Master (高手)そ, いしずえ

Radical ⽯ · radical 112 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Cornerstone / Foundation Stone” in Japanese is 礎, read so, ishizue (そ, いしずえ). 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 基礎 (foundation).

Try it now

What does 礎 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	礎
Meaning	Cornerstone / Foundation Stone
Readings	そ, いしずえ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	基礎 (foundation)

How to read 礎

礎 is read so (そ) or ishizue (いしずえ) depending on the word.

Words with 礎

基礎

Learn 礎 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Updated: 2026-08-28