褒 — “Praise / Extol” in Japanese

Master (高手)ほう, ほ

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

“Praise / Extol” in Japanese is 褒, read hou, ho (ほう, ほ). 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 褒美 (reward).

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What does 褒 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	褒
Meaning	Praise / Extol
Readings	ほう, ほ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	褒美 (reward)

How to read 褒

褒 is read hou (ほう) or ho (ほ) depending on the word.

Words with 褒

褒美

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Kanji read the same way as 褒

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

Updated: 2026-08-28