秀 — Excel / Excellence / Beauty / Surpass

Master (高手)しゅう, ひい

Radical ⽲ · radical 115 The building block this kanji is filed under

秀 (readings: しゅう, ひい; Japanese kanji) means “Excel / Excellence / Beauty / Surpass”. 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 優秀 (excellent).

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What does 秀 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	秀
Meaning	Excel / Excellence / Beauty / Surpass
Readings	しゅう, ひい
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	優秀 (excellent)

How to read 秀

秀 is read しゅう or ひい depending on the word.

Words with 秀

優秀ưu tú

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Updated: 2026-07-22