雇 — “Employ / Hire” in Japanese

Master (高手)こ, やと

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

“Employ / Hire” in Japanese is 雇, read ko, yato (こ, やと). 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 雇用 (employment).

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What does 雇 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	雇
Meaning	Employ / Hire
Readings	こ, やと
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	雇用 (employment)

How to read 雇

雇 is read ko (こ) or yato (やと) depending on the word.

Words with 雇

雇用

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Updated: 2026-08-28