Japanese symbol for “grade”
級
きゅう
Romaji: kyuu
(school) grade; year; class
In Japanese, grade is 級, read きゅう (kyuu).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- ctr, n (school) grade; year; class
- n, suf class; grade; rank; level
- ctr, n kyu (junior rank in martial arts, go, shogi, etc.)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “grade”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 程度 | ていど teido | degree; amount; grade |
| 等級 | とうきゅう toukyuu | grade; class; degree |
| 点数 | てんすう tensuu | marks; points; score |
| レベル | レベル reberu | level; standard; grade |
| 点 | てん ten | mark (in an exam, etc.); grade; score |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 高級 | こうきゅう koukyuu | high-class; high-grade; high-quality |
| 上級 | じょうきゅう joukyuu | upper level; upper grade; high rank |
| 階級 | かいきゅう kaikyuu | (social) class |
| 同級生 | どうきゅうせい doukyuusei | classmate |
| 中級 | ちゅうきゅう chuukyuu | intermediate level |
| 等級 | とうきゅう toukyuu | grade; class; degree |
See also: Chinese symbol for “grade”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.