障 — “obstacle” in Japanese

Grade 6しょう, さわ

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

“obstacle” in Japanese is 障, read shou, sawa (しょう, さわ). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 障害 (obstacle).

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What does 障 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	障
Meaning	obstacle
Readings	しょう, さわ
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	障害 (obstacle)

How to read 障

障 is read shou (しょう) or sawa (さわ) depending on the word.

Words with 障

故障
障害

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Kanji read the same way as 障

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

Updated: 2026-08-28