曹: the kanji for officer; comrade

曹 is a JLPT N1 kanji that means officer; comrade. Below are its readings, 3 common words and example sentences, all with audio.

officer; comradeMeaning

ソウOn reading

—Kun reading

11Strokes

Stroke order

曹 is written in 11 strokes. The red stroke is the one to write next, and the dot shows where it starts.

Words by reading

曹 has 1 reading in the official Jōyō Kanji Table. Below are 3 common words grouped by reading. Tap ▶ to hear each word (audio plays with a free account).

ソウ (sou)

On reading.

Word	Meaning
法曹ほうそう · hōsō	the legal profession
法曹界ほうそうかい · hōsōkai	legal circles
軍曹ぐんそう · gunsō	sergeant

Example sentences for work and daily life

彼女は法曹の道を目指している。Kanojo wa hōsō no michi o mezashite iru.She aims for a career in law.
法曹界で長く活躍した。Hōsōkai de nagaku katsuyaku shita.He was active in legal circles for many years.
映画に厳しい軍曹が出てくる。Eiga ni kibishii gunsō ga dete kuru.A strict sergeant appears in the movie.
法曹とは裁判官や弁護士のことだ。Hōsō to wa saibankan ya bengoshi no koto da.The legal profession means judges, lawyers, and so on.
法曹人口を増やす議論がある。Hōsō jinkō o fuyasu giron ga aru.There is debate about increasing the number of legal professionals.

Questions about 曹

How many strokes does 曹 have?

曹 is written in 11 strokes. The stroke order is shown at the top of this page.

What are the readings of 曹?

The on readings are sou (ソウ). 曹 has no kun reading in the Jōyō Kanji Table.

What JLPT level is 曹?

N1. The JLPT does not publish official kanji lists, so this level is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used through 2009.

About the JLPT level

The JLPT does not publish official lists of kanji for each level. The level on this page is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used for the test through 2009. The JLPT states that the current N1 is designed to match the former Level 1.