署 — “office (government) / to sign” in Japanese

Grade 6しょ

Radical ⽹ · radical 122 The building block this kanji is filed under

“office (government) / to sign” in Japanese is 署, read sho (しょ). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 警察署 (police station).

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What does 署 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	署
Meaning	office (government) / to sign
Readings	しょ
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	警察署 (police station)

How to read 署

署 is read sho (しょ) depending on the word.

Words with 署

警察署

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Kanji read the same way as 署

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

Updated: 2026-08-28