Meaning & readings

leader, commander, general, admiral, or, and again, soon, from now on, just about

On’yomi ショウ、ソウ
Kun’yomi まさ.に、はた、まさ、ひきい.る、もって
Nanori かつ、かつり、すすむ、たか、ゆき

Origin

This character most likely combines two pictographic elements. The left side derives from a picture of a person or figure, while the right side suggests movement or action. Together, these strokes represent someone leading or guiding others forward — the core meaning of a commander or general. Over time, the character's visual origins became more abstract through stylization, but the idea of a leader directing people remained central to its meaning. The secondary meanings of "and" or "again" appear to have developed from the sense of one thing following another, similar to how a general is followed by troops.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Pictographic or simple.

10 strokes

Components

This character is treated as a single, undivided shape (将).

  • meaning part

Common words

  • 王将 おうしょう (senior player's) king
  • 主将 しゅしょう commander-in-chief; supreme commander
  • 将棋 しょうぎ shogi; Japanese chess
  • 将軍 しょうぐん general
  • 将校 しょうこう commissioned officer; military officer
  • 将来 しょうらい future; (future) prospects
  • 少将 しょうしょう major general; rear admiral
  • 中将 ちゅうじょう lieutenant general; vice-admiral

Reference

Strokes
10
Kangxi radical
41
Grade
Grade 6 (Kyōiku)
Frequency rank
#634 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 2
Unicode
U+05C06