臼 — “Mortar” in Japanese

Master (高手)きゅう, ぐ, うす, うすづ

Radical ⾅ · radical 134 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Mortar” in Japanese is 臼, read kyuu, gu, usu (きゅう, ぐ, うす, うすづ). 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 石臼 (stone mortar).

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What does 臼 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	臼
Meaning	Mortar
Readings	きゅう, ぐ, うす, うすづ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	石臼 (stone mortar)

How to read 臼

臼 is read kyuu (きゅう) or gu (ぐ) or usu (うす) or usuzu (うすづ) depending on the word.

Words with 臼

石臼

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Kanji read the same way as 臼

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

Updated: 2026-08-28