翁 — “Venerable Old Man” in Japanese

Master (高手)おう, おきな

Radical ⽻ · radical 124 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Venerable Old Man” in Japanese is 翁, read ou, okina (おう, おきな). 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 老翁 (old man).

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What does 翁 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	翁
Meaning	Venerable Old Man
Readings	おう, おきな
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	老翁 (old man)

How to read 翁

翁 is read ou (おう) or okina (おきな) depending on the word.

Words with 翁

老翁

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Kanji read the same way as 翁

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

Updated: 2026-08-28