荘 — “Villa / Inn / Cottage / Feudal Manor” in Japanese

Master (高手)そう, しょう, ちゃん, ほうき, おごそ

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

“Villa / Inn / Cottage / Feudal Manor” in Japanese is 荘, read sou, shou, chan (そう, しょう, ちゃん, ほうき, おごそ). 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 別荘 (villa).

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What does 荘 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	荘
Meaning	Villa / Inn / Cottage / Feudal Manor
Readings	そう, しょう, ちゃん, ほうき, おごそ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	別荘 (villa)

How to read 荘

荘 is read sou (そう) or shou (しょう) or chan (ちゃん) or houki (ほうき) or ogoso (おごそ) depending on the word.

Words with 荘

別荘

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Kanji read the same way as 荘

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

Updated: 2026-08-28