Meet 鉄 in everyday materials, transport and food. Learn its sound together with each complete word.

The idea

鉄 has 13 strokes and the usual reading てつ. Read 鉄（てつ）, 鉄道（てつどう）, 地下鉄（ちかてつ） and 鉄分（てつぶん） as whole words; follow the linked stroke-order diagram.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
鉄てつThis bridge is made of iron.
鉄道てつどうI take the railway to work.
地下鉄ちかてつI got on the subway at the station.
鉄分てつぶんSpinach contains iron.

Examples

  • この橋はしは鉄てつでできています。This bridge is made of iron.
  • 鉄てつは水みずにぬれるとさびます。Iron rusts when it gets wet.
  • 鉄道てつどうで会社かいしゃに通かよっています。I take the railway to work.
  • 駅えきで地下鉄ちかてつに乗のりました。I got on the subway at the station.
  • ほうれん草そうには鉄分てつぶんが含ふくまれています。Spinach contains iron.
  • 医者いしゃに鉄分てつぶんが足たりないと言いわれました。The doctor said I was short of iron.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

鉄 means iron, but 鉄道 refers to a railway and 地下鉄 to a subway, not the metal itself. Do not confuse 鉄 with 銀, silver: both have the metal component 金 on the left.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 鉄道 in hiragana.

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    てつどう

    鉄道 is てつどう: a railway. The example describes commuting by rail.

  2. Write the reading of 地下鉄 in hiragana.

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    ちかてつ

    地下鉄 is ちかてつ: a subway. The example describes boarding one at a station.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: ＿分（てつぶん）［鉄／銀］.

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    鉄

    鉄 completes 鉄分（てつぶん）, the iron content or nutrient; 銀 means silver.

Use it today

Write 鉄 using the diagram. Cover the table, read 鉄道 and 地下鉄, then make a sentence with one of them.