Japanese symbol for “prize”
賞
しょう
Romaji: shou
prize; award
In Japanese, prize is 賞, read しょう (shou).
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
- n, n-suf prize; award
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “prize”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 賞品 | しょうひん shouhin | prize; trophy |
| 懸賞 | けんしょう kenshou | offering a prize; prize competition; prize |
| 褒賞 | ほうしょう houshou | prize; award; reward |
| 褒美 | ほうび houbi | reward; prize |
| 重んじる | おもんじる omonjiru | to respect; to honor; to honour |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 賞金 | しょうきん shoukin | prize money; monetary award; reward |
| 鑑賞 | かんしょう kanshou | appreciation (of art, music, poetry, etc.) |
| 受賞 | じゅしょう jushou | winning a prize; receiving an award; being awarded |
| 入賞 | にゅうしょう nyuushou | winning a prize; placing (high; in a contest) |
| 大賞 | たいしょう taishou | big prize; first prize |
| 賞賛 | しょうさん shousan | praise; admiration; commendation |
See also: Chinese symbol for “prize”.
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.