草 — “grass” in Japanese

Grade 1そう, くさ

Radical ⾋ · radical 140 The building block this kanji is filed under

“grass” in Japanese is 草, read sou, kusa (そう, くさ). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 草原 (grassland).

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What does 草 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	草
Meaning	grass
Readings	そう, くさ
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	草原 (grassland)

How to read 草

草 is read sou (そう) or kusa (くさ) depending on the word.

Words with 草

草木くさき
草原
煙草

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Kanji read the same way as 草

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Updated: 2026-08-28