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鉄 Kanji

Iron · Railways · The subway

鉄 explanation

鉄てつ means “iron.” Early trains ran on iron rails, so 鉄 appears in many railway words: 地下鉄ちかてつ (“underground + iron”) is the subway, and 鉄道てつどう (“iron + road”) is a railway.

Two more words help you tell railway companies apart: 私鉄してつ is a private railway that is not part of JR, and 電鉄でんてつ, “electric railway,” ends many railway company names, such as 阪急はんきゅう電鉄でんてつ. In some compounds, てつ becomes てっ, and the small っ is held for one full beat: 鉄橋てっきょう is a railway bridge.

Writing · 13 strokes

鉄 stroke order

Vocabulary · 6 words

Words with 鉄

  • A length of iron rail with heavy bolts and a wrench.

    鉄てつ

    Iron

  • A subway train running in a tunnel under a city street, with stairs leading down from the street.

    地下鉄ちかてつ

    Subway; underground railway

  • A train travelling along a railway line through green hills.

    鉄道てつどう

    Railway

  • A private railway train stopped at a small station with its company's sign.

    私鉄してつ

    Private railway (not JR)

  • An electric train drawing power from overhead wires through its pantograph.

    電鉄でんてつ

    Electric railway

  • A train crossing an iron truss bridge over a river.

    鉄橋てっきょう

    Railway bridge; iron bridge

Practice · 10 questions

Kanji practice: 鉄

Question 1 of 10Choose the reading of this word.鉄
Question 2 of 10What does this word mean?地下鉄
Question 3 of 10Choose the reading of this word.鉄道
Question 4 of 10What does this word mean?私鉄
Question 5 of 10Choose the reading of this word.鉄橋
Question 6 of 10Complete the sentence: “Where is the subway station?”＿＿の駅はどこですか。
Question 7 of 10Complete the sentence: “The train crosses the railway bridge.”電車が＿＿を渡ります。
Question 8 of 10Complete the sentence: “There are many railways in Japan.”日本には＿＿がたくさんあります。
Question 9 of 10What does the last part of this company name mean?阪急電鉄
Question 10 of 10Complete the sentence: “This bridge is made of iron.”この橋は＿＿でできています。

鉄 in everyday sentences

  • 地下鉄ちかてつに乗のります。

    I will take the subway.

  • 地下鉄ちかてつの駅えきはどこですか。

    Where is the subway station?

  • 次つぎの駅えきで地下鉄ちかてつに乗のり換かえます。

    I will change to the subway at the next station.

  • 東京とうきょうの地下鉄ちかてつはとても便利べんりです。

    The Tokyo subway is very convenient.

  • 日本にほんには鉄道てつどうがたくさんあります。

    There are many railways in Japan.

  • これは私鉄してつの電車でんしゃです。

    This is a private railway train.

  • 私鉄してつの切符きっぷを買かいました。

    I bought a ticket for the private railway.

  • 電車でんしゃが鉄橋てっきょうを渡わたります。

    The train crosses the railway bridge.

  • 阪急はんきゅう電鉄でんてつで京都きょうとへ行いきます。

    I will go to Kyoto on the Hankyu Railway.

  • 鉄てつは重おもいです。

    Iron is heavy.

  • 地下鉄ちかてつの地図ちずをください。

    A subway map, please.

  • 地下鉄ちかてつの入口いりぐちはあそこです。

    The subway entrance is over there.

  • 地下鉄ちかてつの駅えきまで歩あるいて五分ごふんです。

    It is a five-minute walk to the subway station.

  • 朝あさの地下鉄ちかてつはとても混こんでいます。

    The subway is very crowded in the morning.

  • 私鉄してつの駅えきはJRの駅えきの隣となりにあります。

    The private railway station is next to the JR station.

  • JRパスは私鉄してつでは使つかえません。

    You cannot use the JR Pass on private railways.

  • 弟おとうとは鉄道てつどうが大好だいすきです。

    My younger brother loves trains.

  • この橋はしは鉄てつでできています。

    This bridge is made of iron.

  • 川かわの上うえに鉄橋てっきょうがあります。

    There is a railway bridge over the river.

  • 日本にほんを鉄道てつどうで旅行りょこうしたいです。

    I would like to travel around Japan by rail.

View the plain-text version Stroke data: KanjiVG · CC BY-SA 3.0