説 — “explain / theory” in Japanese

Grade 4せつ, と

Radical ⾔ · radical 149 The building block this kanji is filed under

“explain / theory” in Japanese is 説, read setsu, to (せつ, と). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 説明 (explanation).

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What does 説 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	説
Meaning	explain / theory
Readings	せつ, と
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	説明 (explanation)

How to read 説

説 is read setsu (せつ) or to (と) depending on the word.

Words with 説

伝説でんせつ
説明
逆説
説諭

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Kanji read the same way as 説

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Updated: 2026-08-28