線 — “line” in Japanese

Grade 2せん

Radical ⽷ · radical 120 The building block this kanji is filed under

“line” in Japanese is 線, read sen (せん). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 新幹線 (bullet train).

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What does 線 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	線
Meaning	line
Readings	せん
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	新幹線 (bullet train)

How to read 線

線 is read sen (せん) depending on the word.

Words with 線

路線ろせん
沿線えんせん
新幹線しんかんせん
桜前線さくらぜんせん
鉄道路線てつどうろせん
光線

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Kanji read the same way as 線

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28