首 — neck / head

Grade 2しゅ, くび

Radical ⾸ · radical 185 The building block this kanji is filed under

首 (readings: しゅ, くび; Japanese kanji) means “neck / head”. It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 首都 (capital).

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What does 首 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	首
Meaning	neck / head
Readings	しゅ, くび
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	首都 (capital)

How to read 首

首 is read しゅ or くび depending on the word.

Words with 首

首都しゅとthủ đô
首都圏しゅとけんthủ đô

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Updated: 2026-08-09