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KanjiGrade 3 › 代
Kyōiku Kanji

代 — to substitute / era

Grade 3だい, たい, か, しろ

代 (readings: だい, たい, か, しろ; Japanese kanji) means “to substitute / era”. It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 時代 (era).

What does 代 mean?

Kanji
Meaningto substitute / era
Readingsだい, たい, か, しろ
GradeGrade 3 (Medium)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school

How to read 代

代 is read だい or たい or or しろ depending on the word.

Example words with 代

Example時代 (era)
Practice writing 代 — free
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Updated: 2026-07-14