等 — “equal / rank” in Japanese

Grade 3とう, ひと

Radical ⽵ · radical 118 The building block this kanji is filed under

“equal / rank” in Japanese is 等, read tou, hito (とう, ひと). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 平等 (equality).

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What does 等 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	等
Meaning	equal / rank
Readings	とう, ひと
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	平等 (equality)

How to read 等

等 is read tou (とう) or hito (ひと) depending on the word.

Words with 等

平等
劣等

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Kanji read the same way as 等

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

Read this character in a real sentence

🏃 運動会は学校の大切な行事 Grade 4

Updated: 2026-08-28