超

音読おんよみ: チョウ

訓読くんよみ:える・こ

画数かくすう: 12

部首ぶしゅ: 走(そうにょう)

Meaning

Exceed / Go beyond / Surpass

  • える — to exceed; to go beyond
  • す — to go past; to surpass
  • 超越ちょうえつ — transcendence; going beyond
  • 超人ちょうじん — superhuman
  • 超音波ちょうおんぱ — ultrasound; ultrasonic waves
  • 超高速ちょうこうそく — super high speed
  • ちょう多忙たぼう — extremely busy
  • ちょー かっこいい — “super cool” (casual slang)

The kanji combines the movement radical (a path or road) with a phonetic part that suggests leaping or going beyond a line. Together they express the idea of going past a limit — surpassing a boundary or standard.

In modern Japanese, especially among younger speakers, the reading ちょう is also used as a casual prefix meaning “super,” “really,” or “totally.” You often hear phrases like ちょーかっこいい (“super cool”) or ちょううまい (“really tasty”), where this kanji adds extra emphasis to an adjective.

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