郎 — “Son / Counter For Sons” in Japanese

Master (高手)ろう, りょう, おとこ

Radical ⾢ · radical 163 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Son / Counter For Sons” in Japanese is 郎, read rou, ryou, otoko (ろう, りょう, おとこ). 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 新郎 (bridegroom).

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What does 郎 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	郎
Meaning	Son / Counter For Sons
Readings	ろう, りょう, おとこ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	新郎 (bridegroom)

How to read 郎

郎 is read rou (ろう) or ryou (りょう) or otoko (おとこ) depending on the word.

Words with 郎

新郎

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Kanji read the same way as 郎

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

Updated: 2026-08-28