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KanjiGrade 6 › 染
Kyōiku Kanji

染 — to dye / to infect

Grade 6せん, し, そ

染 (readings: せん, し, そ; Japanese kanji) means “to dye / to infect”. It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 汚染 (pollution).

What does 染 mean?

Kanji
Meaningto dye / to infect
Readingsせん, し, そ
GradeGrade 6 (Hardest)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school

How to read 染

染 is read せん or or depending on the word.

Example words with 染

Example汚染 (pollution)
Practice writing 染 — free
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Updated: 2026-07-14