請 — “Solicit / Invite / Ask” in Japanese

Master (高手)せい, しん, しょう, こ, う

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

“Solicit / Invite / Ask” in Japanese is 請, read sei, shin, shou (せい, しん, しょう, こ, う). 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 申請 (application).

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What does 請 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	請
Meaning	Solicit / Invite / Ask
Readings	せい, しん, しょう, こ, う
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	申請 (application)

How to read 請

請 is read sei (せい) or shin (しん) or shou (しょう) or ko (こ) or u (う) depending on the word.

Words with 請

申請

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Kanji read the same way as 請

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

Updated: 2026-08-28