貌 — “Form / Appearance / Countenance” in Japanese

Master (高手)ぼう, ばく, かたち, かたどる

Radical ⾘ · radical 153 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Form / Appearance / Countenance” in Japanese is 貌, read bou, baku, katachi (ぼう, ばく, かたち, かたどる). 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 容貌 (looks / appearance).

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What does 貌 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	貌
Meaning	Form / Appearance / Countenance
Readings	ぼう, ばく, かたち, かたどる
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	容貌 (looks / appearance)

How to read 貌

貌 is read bou (ぼう) or baku (ばく) or katachi (かたち) or katadoru (かたどる) depending on the word.

Words with 貌

容貌

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Kanji read the same way as 貌

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

Updated: 2026-08-28