世 — world / generation

Grade 3せい, せ, よ

Radical ⼀ · radical 1 The building block this kanji is filed under

世 (readings: せい, せ, よ; Japanese kanji) means “world / generation”. It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 世界 (world).

Try it now

What does 世 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	世
Meaning	world / generation
Readings	せい, せ, よ
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	世界 (world)

How to read 世

世 is read せい or せ or よ depending on the word.

Words with 世

世帯せたいhộ gia đình
世界せかいthế giới
世代せだいthế hệ
世界中せかいじゅうkhắp thế giới
世界一せかいいちnhất thế giới
世界会議せかいかいぎhội nghị thế giới
世界各国せかいかっこくcác nước trên thế giới
世界大会せかいたいかいgiải đấu thế giới

Learn 世 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,026 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-09