酬 — “Repay / Reward / Retribution” in Japanese

Master (高手)しゅう, しゅ, とう, むく

Radical ⾣ · radical 164 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Repay / Reward / Retribution” in Japanese is 酬, read shuu, shu, tou (しゅう, しゅ, とう, むく). 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 報酬 (reward).

Try it now

What does 酬 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	酬
Meaning	Repay / Reward / Retribution
Readings	しゅう, しゅ, とう, むく
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	報酬 (reward)

How to read 酬

酬 is read shuu (しゅう) or shu (しゅ) or tou (とう) or muku (むく) depending on the word.

Words with 酬

報酬

Learn 酬 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 酬

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

Updated: 2026-08-28