電 — Kanji Meaning, Readings & Example Words (JLPT N5)
What it means
電 means electricity, and by extension anything electric or electronic. The wonderful thing about this kanji is its consistency: it is read デン virtually everywhere, and it always points at electricity in some form. You'll meet it in 電車 ("electric train"), 電話 ("telephone"), 電気 ("electricity / lights"), and 電池 ("battery"). Once you lock in the single reading デン, you can read every one of these words on sight — there are no surprise readings to trip you up.
Readings
| Type | Reading | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| on'yomi | デン | 電車 (train), 電話 (telephone), 電気 (electricity), 電池 (battery) |
| kun'yomi | (none in everyday use) | — |
This is one of those friendly kanji with only one reading to memorize. Unlike kanji such as 食 (which switches between た.べる and ショク), 電 does not have a standalone Japanese verb or noun form — it lives entirely inside compound words, always as デン. So the usual "kun for standalone, on for compounds" rule collapses into something even simpler: it's always デン.
Stroke order & radical
- Strokes: 13, written top to bottom — the 雨 ("rain") radical across the top first, then the body underneath.
- Radical: 雨 (あめ, "rain"). It might seem odd that "electricity" sits under "rain," but it's a historic clue: the lower part originally depicted lightning streaking from a storm cloud, and 雨 is the weather sign on top. Picture a flash of lightning during a rainstorm and the meaning "electricity" suddenly makes perfect sense.
Recognizing the 雨 radical is handy beyond this one kanji — you'll spot it on top of other weather words like 雪 (snow) and 雲 (cloud).
Common words using 電
See how every single word keeps the same デン sound? 電車 = でんしゃ, 電話 = でんわ, 電気 = でんき. Even when 電 sits at the end of a word, as in 停電 (ていでん, "power outage"), it's still デン. That rock-steady reading is what makes 電 one of the quickest N5 kanji to master.
Example sentences
ヤッタンは電車で学校へ行きます。
ヤッタンは でんしゃで がっこうへ いきます。
Yattan goes to school by train.
電車 (でんしゃ) — 電 read as デン, as it always is.
モチはヤッタンに電話をかけました。
モチは ヤッタンに でんわを かけました。
Mochi made a phone call to Yattan.
電話 (でんわ) — again the on'yomi デン.
先生は「部屋を出る前に電気を消しましょう」と言いました。
せんせいは「へやを でる まえに でんきを けしましょう」と いいました。
Sensei said, Let's turn off the lights before leaving the room.
電気 (でんき) here means the electric light — same デン reading.
Quick recap
- 電 = electricity / electric; 13 strokes; its radical is 雨 ("rain") on top (a hint at lightning).
- It has one reading: デン. There is no everyday kun'yomi.
- It always means electricity and always reads デン — 電車 (でんしゃ), 電話 (でんわ), 電気 (でんき), 電池 (でんち), 停電 (ていでん).
Your turn
Choose the correct reading of 電 in each word.
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
How do you read 電?
電 is read デン (on'yomi) in essentially every word — 電車 (でんしゃ), 電話 (でんわ), 電気 (でんき). It has no everyday kun'yomi, so you only need to remember one reading.
Why does the 'electricity' kanji use the 雨 (rain) radical?
It's historic: the lower part of 電 originally pictured lightning from a storm cloud, with 雨 ('rain') as the weather sign on top. Lightning is electricity in nature, which is how the meaning came about.
How many strokes does 電 have?
電 has 13 strokes. You write the 雨 (rain) radical across the top first, then the body underneath.
Does 電気 mean 'electricity' or 'light'?
Both, depending on context. 電気 (でんき) is the general word for electricity, but in everyday speech it often means the (electric) light — for example, 電気を消す means 'to turn off the light.'