秒 — “second (time)” in Japanese

Grade 3びょう

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

“second (time)” in Japanese is 秒, read byou (びょう). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 一秒 (one second).

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What does 秒 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	秒
Meaning	second (time)
Readings	びょう
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	一秒 (one second)

How to read 秒

秒 is read byou (びょう) depending on the word.

Words with 秒

秒数びょうすう
一秒いちびょう
秒速びょうそく
数秒すうびょう

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Kanji read the same way as 秒

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28