Meaning
種 works on two levels at once. At its most concrete, it refers to the seed of a plant or the pit of a fruit. Abstractly, the same character handles any classification — a breed of dog, a job category, an ethnic group. One kanji, many contexts.
The structure tells the story. On the left is 禾 (のぎへん), the grain radical: a stalk bending under the weight of ripe grain, found across agricultural vocabulary. On the right, 重 contributes both meaning (heavy) and sound — the on'yomi シュ is borrowed from 重's own pronunciation.
Picture that heavy, ripe grain: a seed. The conceptual extension is natural. A seed doesn't produce just one plant; it reproduces an entire type of organism across generations. That's the bridge between "seed" and "kind/species."
種 has 14 strokes and is taught in Grade 4 of Japanese primary school. It surfaces often enough in biology, business, and daily conversation to be worth learning early.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi is シュ. It dominates written Japanese — formal documents, academic writing, and technical vocabulary all lean on シュ-based compounds. Most of the high-frequency 種 words use this reading.
- 種類 (shurui) — type, kind, sort; the most common word using this kanji
- 人種 (jinshu) — race (of people); literally "human type"
- 各種 (kakushu) — various kinds; each type
- 一種 (isshu) — a kind of, a sort of; one variety
- 品種 (hinshu) — breed, variety (of plants or animals)
- 業種 (gyōshu) — type of industry or business
- 種目 (shumoku) — event, item, or category (e.g. in sports)
- 種族 (shuzoku) — tribe, race, species
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi たね means a seed, pit, or the underlying source of something. Worth noting: ネタ — the slang term for a joke's material or a sushi topping — is literally たね said backwards. The suffix reading ぐさ survives in a small number of set expressions but is uncommon.
- 種 (tane) — seed, pit, source, cause
- 種まき (tanemaki) — sowing seeds, seed planting
- 種子 (shushi) — seed (botanical/scientific term; uses on'yomi)
- 花の種 (hana no tane) — flower seed
- 話の種 (hanashi no tane) — topic of conversation; literally "seed of a story"
Common Words & Compounds
Key compounds, grouped by theme:
Categorisation & Classification
種類 (shurui) — type, kind, sort; used constantly in everyday Japanese
各種 (kakushu) — various kinds; each and every type
一種 (isshu) — a kind of, a sort of
種々 (shuju) — various, diverse, all sorts of ### Biology & Nature
種子 (shushi) — seed (botanical term)
品種 (hinshu) — breed, cultivar, variety
種族 (shuzoku) — species, tribe, race
絶滅危惧種 (zetsumetsu kigu shu) — endangered species
Society & People
- 人種 (jinshu) — race (of people)
- 人種差別 (jinshu sabetsu) — racial discrimination
Commerce & Industry
- 業種 (gyōshu) — type of industry
- 職種 (shokushu) — type of occupation, job category
- 種目 (shumoku) — event or item category (sports, finance)
Everyday Usage
- 種 (tane) — seed, pit, cause, topic material
- 種まき (tanemaki) — sowing seeds
- 話の種 (hanashi no tane) — conversation topic, talking point
Example Sentences
この店には様々な種類のパンがあります。
Kono mise ni wa samazama na shurui no pan ga arimasu.
This shop carries all kinds of bread.
春になったら花の種をまくつもりです。
Haru ni nattara hana no tane wo maku tsumori desu.
Once spring arrives, I plan to sow some flower seeds.
この動物は絶滅危惧種に指定されています。
Kono dōbutsu wa zetsumetsu kigu shu ni shitei sarete imasu.
This animal is designated an endangered species.
彼の行動は一種のアートだと思います。
Kare no kōdō wa isshu no āto da to omoimasu.
His behaviour is a kind of art, I think.
日本には様々な人種の人が住んでいます。
Nihon ni wa samazama na jinshu no hito ga sunde imasu.
People of many different backgrounds live in Japan.
この仕事はどんな職種ですか？
Kono shigoto wa donna shokushu desu ka?
What job category does this position fall under?
旅行は話の種になりますよ。
Ryokō wa hanashi no tane ni narimasu yo.
Travel always gives you something interesting to talk about.
各種のサービスを無料で提供しています。
Kakushu no sābisu wo muryō de teikyō shite imasu.
We offer a range of services at no charge.
品種改良によって新しい野菜が生まれました。
Hinshu kairyō ni yotte atarashii yasai ga umaremashita.
Selective breeding produced entirely new varieties of vegetables.
このスーパーには種類が豊富なので、毎週来ています。
Kono sūpā ni wa shurui ga hōfu na node, maishū kite imasu.
This supermarket has such a good selection that I come back every week.
Memory Tip
Picture a farmer gripping a large, heavy (重) grain from a stalk (禾) — that's a ripe seed (種). One seed grows into an entire type of plant. Heavy grain → seed → kind/type. That chain covers every meaning this kanji has.
Vietnamese learners have a shortcut: the Hán-Việt reading CHỦNG maps directly onto chủng loại (種類 — type/kind) and chủng tộc (種族 — race/ethnicity). If those words already feel familiar, half the vocabulary on this page comes for free.