鉛 — “Lead” in Japanese

Master (高手)えん, なまり

Radical ⾦ · radical 167 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Lead” in Japanese is 鉛, read en, namari (えん, なまり). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 鉛筆 (pencil).

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What does 鉛 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	鉛
Meaning	Lead
Readings	えん, なまり
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	鉛筆 (pencil)

How to read 鉛

鉛 is read en (えん) or namari (なまり) depending on the word.

Words with 鉛

鉛筆

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Kanji read the same way as 鉛

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

Updated: 2026-08-28