表 — surface / to express

Grade 3ひょう, おもて, あらわ

Radical ⾐ · radical 145 The building block this kanji is filed under

表 (readings: ひょう, おもて, あらわ; Japanese kanji) means “surface / to express”. It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 表現 (expression).

Try it now

What does 表 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	表
Meaning	surface / to express
Readings	ひょう, おもて, あらわ
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	表現 (expression)

How to read 表

表 is read ひょう or おもて or あらわ depending on the word.

Words with 表

表明ひょうめいtuyên bố
代表だいひょうtiêu biểu
発表はっぴょうcông bố
表現ひょうげんbiểu đạt / diễn tả
表面ひょうめんbề mặt
代表的だいひょうてきtiêu biểu
日本代表にほんだいひょうđội tuyển Nhật
表彰biểu dương

Learn 表 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,026 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-09