霜 — “Frost” in Japanese

Master (高手)そう, しも

Radical ⾬ · radical 173 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Frost” in Japanese is 霜, read sou, shimo (そう, しも). 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 霜 (frost).

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What does 霜 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	霜
Meaning	Frost
Readings	そう, しも
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	霜 (frost)

How to read 霜

霜 is read sou (そう) or shimo (しも) depending on the word.

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Kanji read the same way as 霜

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

Updated: 2026-08-28