総 — “total / overall” in Japanese

Grade 5そう

Radical ⽷ · radical 120 The building block this kanji is filed under

“total / overall” in Japanese is 総, read sou (そう). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 総合 (comprehensive).

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What does 総 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	総
Meaning	total / overall
Readings	そう
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	総合 (comprehensive)

How to read 総

総 is read sou (そう) depending on the word.

Words with 総

総合

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Kanji read the same way as 総

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28