除 — “to remove” in Japanese

Grade 6じょ, のぞ

Radical ⾩ · radical 170 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to remove” in Japanese is 除, read jo, nozo (じょ, のぞ). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 除去 (removal).

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What does 除 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	除
Meaning	to remove
Readings	じょ, のぞ
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	除去 (removal)

How to read 除

除 is read jo (じょ) or nozo (のぞ) depending on the word.

Words with 除

除去
削除
控除
排除
掃除

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Kanji read the same way as 除

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

Read this character in a real sentence

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Updated: 2026-08-28