沿 — “along” in Japanese

Grade 6えん, そ

Radical ⽔ · radical 85 The building block this kanji is filed under

“along” in Japanese is 沿, read en, so (えん, そ). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 沿岸 (coast).

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What does 沿 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	沿
Meaning	along
Readings	えん, そ
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	沿岸 (coast)

How to read 沿

沿 is read en (えん) or so (そ) depending on the word.

Words with 沿

沿線えんせん
沿道えんどう
沿岸

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Kanji read the same way as 沿

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28