設 — “establish / set up” in Japanese

Grade 5せつ, もう

Radical ⾔ · radical 149 The building block this kanji is filed under

“establish / set up” in Japanese is 設, read setsu, mou (せつ, もう). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 設備 (equipment).

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What does 設 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	設
Meaning	establish / set up
Readings	せつ, もう
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	設備 (equipment)

How to read 設

設 is read setsu (せつ) or mou (もう) depending on the word.

Words with 設

建設けんせつ
設計せっけい
設置せっち
設備
施設

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Kanji read the same way as 設

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28