染 — “to dye / to infect” in Japanese

Grade 6せん, し, そ

Radical ⽊ · radical 75 The building block this kanji is filed under

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

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What does 染 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	染
Meaning	to dye / to infect
Readings	せん, し, そ
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	汚染 (pollution)

How to read 染

染 is read sen (せん) or shi (し) or so (そ) depending on the word.

Words with 染

汚染

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Kanji read the same way as 染

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28