If you’re new to shogi (Japanese chess), the pieces can feel like little mystery wedges covered in symbols. Those symbols are kanji—Chinese characters used in Japanese writing—and each one tells you what the piece is.
The good news: you don’t have to “know Japanese” to get comfortable with them. In this post, I’ll show you the most common kanji you’ll see on shogi pieces, what they mean, and how to pronounce the piece names out loud.
First: a super-quick pronunciation cheat
Japanese pronunciation is pretty consistent. Here are a few helpful rules:
- a = “ah” (like father)
- i = “ee” (like see)
- u = a soft “oo” (kind of like food, but lighter)
- e = “eh” (like met)
- o = “oh” (like go)
And you’ll see long vowels sometimes:
- ō is a long “oh” (say it a little longer), like “ohhh”
- ū is a long “oo”
I’ll write the Japanese names in romaji (Japanese sounds using English letters), and I’ll give a “say it like…” hint too.
Why some pieces have two kanji
On many sets, pieces have two characters stacked top-to-bottom, like:
- 飛車 (rook)
- 金将 (gold general)
Usually:
- The top/bigger kanji is the main identity.
- The bottom/smaller kanji is like a label (often “general,” “chariot,” or “soldier”).
Some cheaper or decorative sets might show only one kanji, and that’s normal too.
The main shogi pieces (unpromoted)
King
You might see either:
- 王将 = Ōshō (oh-shoh)
- 王 = king
- 将 = general/commander
or
- 玉将 = Gyokushō (gyoh-koo-shoh)
- 玉 = jewel
- 将 = general/commander
In gameplay, they’re the same piece. Many sets use 王 on one king and 玉 on the other just to tell them apart.
Shortcut you’ll hear: people often just say Ō (oh) or Gyoku (gyoh-koo).
Gold General
- 金将 = Kinshō (keen-shoh)
- 金 = gold (also “metal” in general)
- 将 = general/commander
Shortcut: Kin (keen)
Silver General
- 銀将 = Ginshō (geen-shoh)
- 銀 = silver
- 将 = general/commander
Shortcut: Gin (geen)
Knight
- 桂馬 = Keima (kay-mah)
- 桂 = a kind of tree (katsura)
- 馬 = horse
This is the shogi “knight,” even though the kanji says “horse.” (Lots of old piece names are kind of poetic.)
Shortcut: Kei (kay)
Lance
- 香車 = Kyōsha (kyoh-shah)
- 香 = fragrance / incense
- 車 = vehicle / chariot
Shortcut: Kyō (kyoh)
Pawn
- 歩兵 = Fuhyō (foo-hyoh)
- 歩 = step / walk
- 兵 = soldier
So it’s basically a “foot soldier.”
Shortcut: Fu (foo)
Rook
- 飛車 = Hisha (hee-shah)
- 飛 = fly
- 車 = vehicle / chariot
People sometimes describe it as a “flying chariot,” which is a cool way to remember it.
Shortcut: Hi (hee)
Bishop
- 角行 = Kakugyō (kah-koo-gyoh)
- 角 = angle / corner
- 行 = going / movement
This piece moves diagonally, so “angle movement” makes sense.
Shortcut: Kaku (kah-koo)
Promotion: the red side (and the “new” kanji)
In shogi, many pieces can promote when they enter (or move within) the enemy’s camp. You usually flip the piece to its promoted side, often with red characters.
Two big things to know:
- Gold and King do not promote.
- Promoted pieces often move more like a Gold General, except rook and bishop get special upgrades.
Promoted pawn: Tokin
- と金 = Tokin (toh-keen)
- と = not kanji! It’s hiragana (a simpler Japanese character)
- 金 = gold
A lot of sets show just と on the promoted side of a pawn.
Promoted rook: Dragon King
Usually written:
- 竜王 or 龍王 = Ryūō (ryoo-oh)
- 竜 / 龍 = dragon (two different ways to write “dragon”)
- 王 = king
On many pieces, you might only see the dragon part (竜 or 龍) instead of both characters.
Nickname you might hear: Ryū (ryoo) = “dragon”
Promoted bishop: Dragon Horse
Usually written:
- 竜馬 or 龍馬 = Ryūma (ryoo-mah)
- 竜 / 龍 = dragon
- 馬 = horse
On many pieces, you might only see 馬.
Nickname you might hear: Uma (oo-mah) = “horse”
Promoted lance / knight / silver: the “nari” pieces
These are the ones where shogi sets vary the most in what they print.
The “full name” style (very clear)
- 成香 = Narikyō (nah-ree-kyoh) = promoted lance
- 成桂 = Narikei (nah-ree-kay) = promoted knight
- 成銀 = Narigin (nah-ree-gin) = promoted silver
Here, 成 means something like “become” / “turn into”, and in shogi it basically signals promotion.
The “one-kanji shorthand” style (common on real sets)
Instead of 成香 / 成桂 / 成銀, many sets use:
- 杏 = promoted lance
- 圭 = promoted knight
- 全 = promoted silver
Important: these are kind of like shogi “symbols”. In normal Japanese, these kanji can have other readings, but in shogi they stand for those promoted pieces.
When speaking, most players still say narikyō / narikei / narigin, even if the tile shows 杏 / 圭 / 全.
A quick cheat sheet you can screenshot
Unpromoted
- 王将 / 玉将 — Ōshō / Gyokushō — King
- 金将 — Kinshō — Gold General
- 銀将 — Ginshō — Silver General
- 桂馬 — Keima — Knight
- 香車 — Kyōsha — Lance
- 歩兵 — Fuhyō — Pawn
- 飛車 — Hisha — Rook
- 角行 — Kakugyō — Bishop
Promoted
- と金 (or just と) — Tokin — promoted pawn
- 成香 (or 杏) — Narikyō — promoted lance
- 成桂 (or 圭) — Narikei — promoted knight
- 成銀 (or 全) — Narigin — promoted silver
- 竜王 / 龍王 (or 竜 / 龍) — Ryūō — promoted rook
- 竜馬 / 龍馬 (or 馬) — Ryūma — promoted bishop
One last “spotting” trick (even if you can’t read kanji yet)
If you’re staring at a board and thinking “Help—what is that piece?” try this:
- 金 = Gold (and promoted pieces often move like Gold!)
- 銀 = Silver
- 歩 or 兵 = Pawn
- 飛 = Rook (think “flying”)
- 角 = Bishop (think “angle/diagonal”)
- 馬 = Promoted bishop (“horse”)
- 竜 / 龍 = Promoted rook (“dragon”)
- と = Promoted pawn
After a few games, your brain starts recognizing them the same way you recognize letters—without needing to “translate” every time.