電 — “electricity” in Japanese

Grade 2でん

Radical ⾬ · radical 173 The building block this kanji is filed under

“electricity” in Japanese is 電, read den (でん). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 電気 (electricity).

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What does 電 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	電
Meaning	electricity
Readings	でん
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	電気 (electricity)

How to read 電

電 is read den (でん) depending on the word.

Words with 電

電車でんしゃ
停電ていでん
電気でんき
電子でんし
電池でんち
放電ほうでん
電気代でんきだい
静電気せいでんき
電柱
電灯

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Kanji read the same way as 電

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28