選 — “choose / select” in Japanese

Grade 4せん, えら

Radical ⾡ · radical 162 The building block this kanji is filed under

“choose / select” in Japanese is 選, read sen, era (せん, えら). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 選手 (athlete / player).

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What does 選 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	選
Meaning	choose / select
Readings	せん, えら
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	選手 (athlete / player)

How to read 選

選 is read sen (せん) or era (えら) depending on the word.

Words with 選

選手せんしゅ
予選よせん
選挙
選択

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Kanji read the same way as 選

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28