炭 — “charcoal / coal” in Japanese

Grade 3たん, すみ

Radical ⽕ · radical 86 The building block this kanji is filed under

“charcoal / coal” in Japanese is 炭, read tan, sumi (たん, すみ). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 石炭 (coal).

Try it now

What does 炭 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	炭
Meaning	charcoal / coal
Readings	たん, すみ
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	石炭 (coal)

How to read 炭

炭 is read tan (たん) or sumi (すみ) depending on the word.

Words with 炭

石炭
炭坑

Learn 炭 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 炭

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

Updated: 2026-08-28