種 — “seed / kind” in Japanese

Grade 4しゅ, たね

Radical ⽲ · radical 115 The building block this kanji is filed under

“seed / kind” in Japanese is 種, read shu, tane (しゅ, たね). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 種類 (kind / type).

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What does 種 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	種
Meaning	seed / kind
Readings	しゅ, たね
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	種類 (kind / type)

How to read 種

種 is read shu (しゅ) or tane (たね) depending on the word.

Words with 種

種類しゅるい
品種ひんしゅ
十種類じゅっしゅるい
丙種

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Kanji read the same way as 種

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28