衝 — “Collide / Brunt / Highway / Opposition (astronomy)” in Japanese

Master (高手)しょう, つ

Radical ⾏ · radical 144 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Collide / Brunt / Highway / Opposition (astronomy)” in Japanese is 衝, read shou, tsu (しょう, つ). 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 衝突 (collision).

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What does 衝 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	衝
Meaning	Collide / Brunt / Highway / Opposition (astronomy)
Readings	しょう, つ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	衝突 (collision)

How to read 衝

衝 is read shou (しょう) or tsu (つ) depending on the word.

Words with 衝

衝突

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Kanji read the same way as 衝

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

Updated: 2026-08-28