遊 — “to play” in Japanese

Grade 3ゆう, ゆ, あそ

Radical ⾡ · radical 162 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to play” in Japanese is 遊, read yuu, yu, aso (ゆう, ゆ, あそ). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 遊園地 (amusement park).

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What does 遊 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	遊
Meaning	to play
Readings	ゆう, ゆ, あそ
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	遊園地 (amusement park)

How to read 遊

遊 is read yuu (ゆう) or yu (ゆ) or aso (あそ) depending on the word.

Words with 遊

遊戯
遊園地

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Kanji read the same way as 遊

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28