竜 — “Dragon / Imperial” in Japanese

Master (高手)りゅう, りょう, ろう, たつ, いせ

Radical ⽴ · radical 117 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Dragon / Imperial” in Japanese is 竜, read ryuu, ryou, rou (りゅう, りょう, ろう, たつ, いせ). 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 恐竜 (dinosaur).

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What does 竜 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	竜
Meaning	Dragon / Imperial
Readings	りゅう, りょう, ろう, たつ, いせ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	恐竜 (dinosaur)

How to read 竜

竜 is read ryuu (りゅう) or ryou (りょう) or rou (ろう) or tatsu (たつ) or ise (いせ) depending on the word.

Words with 竜

翼竜
恐竜

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Kanji read the same way as 竜

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

Updated: 2026-08-28