制 — “system / control” in Japanese

Grade 5せい

Radical ⼑ · radical 18 The building block this kanji is filed under

“system / control” in Japanese is 制, read sei (せい). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 制度 (system).

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What does 制 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	制
Meaning	system / control
Readings	せい
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	制度 (system)

How to read 制

制 is read sei (せい) depending on the word.

Words with 制

制度せいど
制服
抑制

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Kanji read the same way as 制

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Updated: 2026-08-28