Meaning
奨 means encouragement, recommendation, and formal recognition. The core idea: pushing someone forward — motivating them to achieve, endorsing a product or policy, or honoring exceptional effort with a grant or prize. In modern Japanese, 奨 shows up most in 奨学金 (scholarship), 奨励 (encouragement), and 推奨 (recommendation) — the three compounds worth learning first.
奨 is a simplified form of the traditional character 獎, still used in Traditional Chinese and older Japanese texts. Structurally it's a phono-semantic compound: the top component 将 (ショウ, "general, commander") supplies the reading, while the bottom component 大 ("great") adds scale and authority. Think of a commanding figure rallying those beneath him — urging them forward, rewarding their effort. That image is the meaning.
奨 has 13 strokes and is a high-school Jōyō kanji at JLPT N1. It appears most in formal writing — scholarship announcements, government policy documents, product certifications, and award programs.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
One on'yomi: ショウ (shō). Every compound built on 奨 uses it — it's the only reading you'll need. The pronunciation comes straight from the component 将 (general, also ショウ) at the top of the kanji. Spot the general, know the reading.
Key compound words using ショウ:
- 奨励 (shōrei) — encouragement, active promotion; urging a person or group toward an activity
- 奨学金 (shōgakukin) — scholarship; literally "money to encourage learning"
- 推奨 (suishō) — official recommendation, endorsement; pushing something as the approved choice
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
No kun'yomi for 奨. Many N1 kanji borrowed through Classical Chinese — via bureaucratic and literary texts rather than everyday speech — never developed a native Japanese reading. 奨 is one of them. In practice, every occurrence of this kanji is inside a compound, and that compound reads ショウ.
Common Words & Compounds
奨 clusters tightly around education, incentives, and formal endorsement. The most important compounds:
Education & Scholarships:
- 奨学金 (shōgakukin) — scholarship, student financial grant; the most common word containing 奨
- 奨学生 (shōgakusei) — scholarship student, grant recipient
- 奨学会 (shōgakukai) — scholarship association or foundation
- 奨学制度 (shōgakuseido) — scholarship system or program
Encouragement & Incentives:
- 奨励 (shōrei) — encouragement, active promotion of an activity or cause
- 奨励金 (shōreikin) — incentive grant, encouragement fund
- 奨励賞 (shōreishō) — encouragement award; recognizes exceptional effort and potential, not first place
Recommendation & Endorsement:
- 推奨 (suishō) — official recommendation, formal endorsement
- 推奨品 (suishōhin) — recommended product, certified endorsed item
- 推奨図書 (suishō tosho) — recommended reading, endorsed books
Example Sentences
彼女は奨学金をもらって大学に進学した。
Kanojo wa shōgakukin wo moratte daigaku ni shingaku shita.
She received a scholarship and went on to university.
政府は若者の起業を奨励している。
Seifu wa wakamono no kigyō wo shōrei shite iru.
The government is encouraging young people to start businesses.
このアプリは専門家に推奨されている。
Kono apuri wa senmonka ni suishō sarete iru.
This app is recommended by experts.
彼は成績が優秀で奨学生に選ばれた。
Kare wa seiseki ga yūshū de shōgakusei ni erabareta.
He was selected as a scholarship student due to his excellent grades.
奨励賞を受賞できて、とても光栄です。
Shōreishō wo jushō dekite, totemo kōei desu.
I am very honored to have received the encouragement award.
奨学金の申請書を今週中に提出しなければならない。
Shōgakukin no shinseisho wo konshū-jū ni teishutsu shinakereba naranai.
I have to submit the scholarship application by the end of this week.
先生は生徒たちに読書を奨励した。
Sensei wa seito-tachi ni dokusho wo shōrei shita.
The teacher encouraged the students to read books.
地域の企業が才能ある若者の研究を奨励するための基金を設立した。
Chiiki no kigyō ga sainō aru wakamono no kenkyū wo shōrei suru tame no kikin wo setsuritsu shita.
A local company established a fund to encourage research by talented young people.
海外留学を希望する学生に奨学金制度を案内した。
Kaigai ryūgaku wo kibō suru gakusei ni shōgakukin seido wo annai shita.
We informed students wishing to study abroad about the scholarship system.
この製品は安全性が高く、推奨品として認定されています。
Kono seihin wa anzensei ga takaku, suishōhin to shite nintei sarete imasu.
This product has a high safety rating and has been certified as a recommended item.
Memory Tip
Picture a mighty general (将) raising his fist before a crowd (大), cheering his troops onward. He doesn't fight — he encourages. That gesture is 奨: 将 (commander, ショウ) on top, 大 (great) below, a figure of authority who urges and rewards.
The reading ショウ is identical to 将 (ショウ, general), so the two snap together. Quick anchor: "The great general gives a scholarship!" — 奨学金 (shō-ga-ku-kin).