羊 — “sheep” in Japanese

Grade 3よう, ひつじ

Radical ⽺ · radical 123 The building block this kanji is filed under

“sheep” in Japanese is 羊, read you, hitsuji (よう, ひつじ). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 子羊 (lamb).

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What does 羊 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	羊
Meaning	sheep
Readings	よう, ひつじ
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	子羊 (lamb)

How to read 羊

羊 is read you (よう) or hitsuji (ひつじ) depending on the word.

Words with 羊

子羊

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Kanji read the same way as 羊

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

Updated: 2026-08-28