集 — “to gather / to collect” in Japanese

Grade 3しゅう, あつ

Radical ⾫ · radical 172 The building block this kanji is filed under

“to gather / to collect” in Japanese is 集, read shuu, atsu (しゅう, あつ). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 集める (to collect).

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What does 集 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	集
Meaning	to gather / to collect
Readings	しゅう, あつ
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	集める (to collect)

How to read 集

集 is read shuu (しゅう) or atsu (あつ) depending on the word.

Words with 集

集中力しゅうちゅうりょく
収集車しゅうしゅうしゃ
編集
募集
召集
集めるto gather / to collect

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Kanji read the same way as 集

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28