勢 — “force / momentum” in Japanese

Grade 5せい, いきお

Radical ⼒ · radical 19 The building block this kanji is filed under

“force / momentum” in Japanese is 勢, read sei, ikio (せい, いきお). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 勢力 (power, influence).

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What does 勢 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	勢
Meaning	force / momentum
Readings	せい, いきお
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	勢力 (power, influence)

How to read 勢

勢 is read sei (せい) or ikio (いきお) depending on the word.

Words with 勢

姿勢しせい
大勢おおぜい
勢力

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Kanji read the same way as 勢

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28