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N2

Kanji 鉄: meanings, readings, and example words.

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Kanji 鉄: iron

Key takeaways

Kanji 鉄: iron. Readings and core meaning.

See vocabulary and examples below.

Kanji at a glance

N2

Meaning

iron

On reading

テツ

Kun reading

くろがね

Radical

Core meaning / core image

Core meaning: 鉄

iron

Kanji structure breakdown

Structure breakdown

金 + 失

Mnemonic story

Mnemonic story

Imagine losing (失) a precious metal like gold (金) and being left with common iron instead. Although iron is less valuable than gold, it is a vital metal used in essential infrastructure like railways.

On'yomi and kun'yomi

On reading

テツ
  • 製鉄せいてつ

    iron production / steel manufacturing

  • 私鉄してつ

    private railway / non-government train line

  • てつ

    iron / steel / metal

  • 鉄道てつどう

    railroad / railway line

  • 地下鉄ちかてつ

    subway / underground train

Commonly used words

  • 製鉄
    せいてつ

    iron production / steel manufacturing

  • 私鉄
    してつ

    private railway / non-government train line

  • てつ

    iron / steel / metal

  • 鉄道
    てつどう

    railroad / railway line

  • 地下鉄
    ちかてつ

    subway / underground train

Example sentences

Example 1

子どもが公園の棒で遊んでいる。

Translation

Children are playing on the horizontal bar in the park.

Example 2

この棒はとても丈夫で重い。

Translation

This iron bar is very strong and heavy.

Example 3

この町は製で有名です。

Translation

This town is famous for iron production.

Example 4

日本の製技術はとても高いです。

Translation

Japanese iron manufacturing technology is very advanced.

Kanji 鉄: iron | Daily Nihongo