袖 — “Sleeve / Wing (building) / Extension / Give Cold Shoulder” in Japanese

Master (高手)しゅう, そで

Radical ⾐ · radical 145 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Sleeve / Wing (building) / Extension / Give Cold Shoulder” in Japanese is 袖, read shuu, sode (しゅう, そで). 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 半袖 (short sleeve).

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What does 袖 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	袖
Meaning	Sleeve / Wing (building) / Extension / Give Cold Shoulder
Readings	しゅう, そで
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	半袖 (short sleeve)

How to read 袖

袖 is read shuu (しゅう) or sode (そで) depending on the word.

Words with 袖

半袖

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Kanji read the same way as 袖

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

Updated: 2026-08-28