KanjiSchool KanjiSchool
KanjiGrade 3 › 世
Kyōiku Kanji

世 — world / generation

Grade 3せい, せ, よ

世 (readings: せい, せ, よ; Japanese kanji) means “world / generation”. It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 世界 (world).

What does 世 mean?

Kanji
Meaningworld / generation
Readingsせい, せ, よ
GradeGrade 3 (Medium)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school

How to read 世

世 is read せい or or depending on the word.

Example words with 世

Example世界 (world)
Practice writing 世 — free
See 世's stroke order, take a quiz, and add it to your spaced-repetition review. KanjiSchool teaches all 1,026 Kyōiku kanji through real stories and news.
Start free — no credit card →
Updated: 2026-07-14