Meaning
Repair a cracked wooden gate. Spend three years training under a master. Earn a graduate degree. These seemingly different ideas all live inside one kanji: 修. Its core meanings — repair, discipline, study, and cultivate — share a single thread: sustained effort directed at making something better.
The structure tells the story. On the left sits 亻, the person radical, anchoring meaning in human action. The right side shows 彡 (san) — three diagonal strokes evoking careful embellishment, the patient finishing touches of a craftsperson. Together they paint a picture: a person polishing, refining, improving. That image holds whether you're mending something broken or building mastery within yourself.
修 has 10 strokes, belongs to Grade 5 of Japanese elementary school, and carries the radical 彡. In Chinese, 修 (xiū) shares the same written form and largely the same meanings — a useful bridge for Chinese-background learners.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
シュウ (shuu) — the dominant reading, covering most everyday compounds tied to repair, formal study, and professional training. Expect to encounter it constantly in news articles, university settings, and business vocabulary.
- 修理 (shuu-ri) — repair, fixing something broken
- 修正 (shuu-sei) — correction, revision, amendment
- 研修 (ken-shuu) — employee training, study program
- 修道院 (shuu-dou-in) — monastery, convent
シュ (shu) — a smaller cluster of words, mostly connected to Buddhist, martial, or spiritual training. The nuance shifts: less about fixing or studying, more about a years-long commitment to transforming oneself.
- 修行 (shu-gyou) — ascetic training, spiritual discipline
- 修業 (shu-gyou) — apprenticeship, pursuit of a craft
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
おさ.める (osa-meru) — as a standalone verb, means to master or cultivate something through sustained effort. Less common than the on'yomi compounds in daily writing, but essential for reading literary and formal texts.
- 学問を修める (gakumon wo osameru) — to pursue academic learning
- 技術を修める (gijutsu wo osameru) — to master a skill or technique
おさ.まる (osa-maru) — the intransitive form: something is settled, put in order, brought under mastery. Rare in modern usage, but recognizable when you encounter it.
Common Words & Compounds
修 spans repair, education, and self-cultivation. The compounds below are the ones N2 learners encounter most often.
Repair & Restoration:
- 修理 (shuu-ri) — repair, mending a broken object
- 修復 (shuu-fuku) — restoration (of a building, artwork, or relationship)
- 修繕 (shuu-zen) — repair and maintenance, especially of buildings or fabric
- 改修 (kai-shuu) — renovation, large-scale overhaul
Study & Education:
- 研修 (ken-shuu) — professional training, study program
- 修学 (shuu-gaku) — pursuit of learning, academic study
- 修了 (shuu-ryou) — completion of a course or program
- 必修 (hisshuu) — required subject, mandatory course
- 修士 (shuu-shi) — master's degree (as in 修士号)
- 修学旅行 (shuugaku-ryokou) — school excursion trip
Self-cultivation & Spiritual Practice:
- 修行 (shu-gyou) — ascetic or spiritual training, intensive discipline
- 修業 (shu-gyou) — apprenticeship, mastery-seeking study
- 修道 (shuu-dou) — monastic way, the path of disciplined practice
Correction & Refinement:
- 修正 (shuu-sei) — correction, amendment, revision
- 修飾 (shuu-shoku) — decoration; in grammar, modification of a noun or verb
Example Sentences
車を修理に出しました。
Kuruma wo shuuri ni dashimashita.
I took the car in for repair.
この科目は必修なので、全員が受けなければなりません。
Kono kamoku wa hisshuu nanode, zen'in ga ukenakereba narimasen.
This subject is mandatory, so everyone must take it.
彼は海外で研修を受けた経験があります。
Kare wa kaigai de kenshuu wo uketa keiken ga arimasu.
He has experience training abroad.
論文を提出する前に、内容を修正しました。
Ronbun wo teishutsu suru mae ni, naiyou wo shuusei shimashita.
Before submitting the thesis, I revised the content.
彼女は修士号を取得して、大学院を卒業しました。
Kanojo wa shuushi-gou wo shutoku shite, daigakuin wo sotsugyou shimashita.
She earned a master's degree and graduated from graduate school.
古い寺の修復工事が来月から始まります。
Furui tera no shuufuku kouji ga raigetsu kara hajimarimasu.
Restoration work on the old temple starts next month.
武道の修行は、体だけでなく精神も鍛えます。
Budou no shugyou wa, karada dake de naku seishin mo kitaemasu.
Martial arts training builds the mind as much as the body.
中学のとき、修学旅行で京都と奈良に行きました。
Chuugaku no toki, shuugaku ryokou de Kyouto to Nara ni ikimashita.
In junior high, our school trip took us to Kyoto and Nara.
彼は長年、料理の技術を修めてきた職人だ。
Kare wa naganen, ryouri no gijutsu wo osamete kita shokunin da.
He's a craftsman who has spent years mastering his culinary skills.
建物の老朽化が進んだため、大規模な改修が必要になった。
Tatemono no roukyuuka ga susunda tame, daikibo na kaishuu ga hitsuyou ni natta.
The building had deteriorated badly, so a large-scale renovation became necessary.
Memory Tip
Picture the kanji 修 as a person (亻) making three careful polishing strokes (彡) on a precious object. Not rushing — three deliberate passes of the cloth, each one refining what came before. That patient, focused effort is the soul of 修. 修理 a broken bicycle. Go through 研修 at a new job. Endure years of 修行 as a monk or martial artist. The work changes, but the spirit never does: steady effort, aimed at improvement. Three strokes of 彡 to remind you.