英 — “England / brilliant” in Japanese

Grade 4えい

Radical ⾋ · radical 140 The building block this kanji is filed under

“England / brilliant” in Japanese is 英, read ei (えい). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 英語 (English language).

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What does 英 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	英
Meaning	England / brilliant
Readings	えい
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	英語 (English language)

How to read 英

英 is read ei (えい) depending on the word.

Words with 英

英語
英雄

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Kanji read the same way as 英

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

Read this character in a real sentence

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Updated: 2026-08-28