What is the Kanji for "Iron"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Iron", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Iron" is "鉄".

This kanji has 1 reading:

Its onyomi reading is "Tetsu".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The kanji "金" means "Gold" and can be read as "Kin", "Kane", "Kana", and "Kon". And The kanji "失" means "Lose" and "Fault" and can be read as "Shitsu" and "Ushina".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "鉄" mean in japanese?

"鉄" means "Iron".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Third Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N2 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

地下鉄: "Subway". The Japanese word '地下鉄 (ちかてつ)' refers to an underground railway system, typically found in large cities. It is a type of rapid transit system that transports people efficiently through the city under the ground. This word is commonly used to describe the subway or metro systems found in many major Japanese cities like Tokyo and Osaka. For example: I took the subway to work - (仕事へ地下鉄を使いました). Let's meet at the subway station - (地下鉄の駅で会いましょう).

鉄: "Iron". The Japanese noun '鉄 (てつ)' refers to the chemical element iron. Iron is a hard, silvery-gray metal that is widely used in construction, machinery, and various other applications due to its strength and durability. It is one of the most abundant elements on Earth. For example: Iron is strong - (鉄は強い). The iron bar is heavy - (鉄の棒は重い).

鉄道: "Railway" or "Railroad". The Japanese noun '鉄道 (てつどう)' refers to a railway or railroad system. It encompasses the infrastructure, trains, and overall transportation service provided by a network of rail tracks and stations. This word is commonly used to describe public transportation by rail, such as passenger train lines. For example: I took the railway to work - (私は鉄道で仕事に行きました). The high-speed railway connects the two cities - (高速鉄道がその二つの都市を結んでいます).

国鉄: "National railway". The noun '国鉄 (こくてつ)' refers to the national railway system in Japan, which was formerly the state-owned railway network in Japan. This term is used to describe the railways that were operated by the Japanese National Railways (JNR) before it was privatized in 1987. '国鉄' was commonly used to refer to the train stations, trains, and infrastructure that were part of this national railway system. For example: The national railway system in Japan used to be known as 国鉄 - (日本の鉄道は以前、国鉄と呼ばれていた).

私鉄: "Private railway". The Japanese noun '私鉄 (してつ)' refers to a privately owned and operated railway system, as opposed to a publicly owned and operated national railway system. Private railways in Japan are typically found in major metropolitan areas and provide commuter and intercity transportation services. They are often more efficient and better-maintained than public railways. For example: The Tokyu Line is a private railway in Tokyo - (東急線は東京の私鉄です).

鉄砲: "Gun". The Japanese noun '鉄砲 (てっぽう)' means 'gun'. This word refers to any type of firearm, from rifles and muskets to pistols and cannons. It has a long history in Japan, dating back to the 16th century when firearms were first introduced to the country. '鉄砲 (てっぽう)' is a generic term that encompasses all types of guns and can be used to describe both modern and traditional Japanese firearms. For example: The samurai carried a gun - (侍は鉄砲を持っていた). I don't own a gun - (私は鉄砲を持っていません).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "て" is read as "te". And The hiragana "つ" is read as "tsu".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.