# 染 — dye

染 means “dye”. It is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 9 strokes. On'yomi: セン (sen). Kun'yomi: そ(める) (someru), し(みる) (shimiru). You'll see it in words such as 染める (someru, “to dye; to colour”).

- Meaning: dye
- On'yomi: セン (sen)
- Kun'yomi: そ(める) (someru), し(みる) (shimiru)
- Strokes: 9
- Level: JLPT N1 · set Cloth & clothing 1

## How to remember 染

Parts: 氵 water · 九 nine · 木 tree

## Words with 染

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 染める | そめる (someru) | to dye; to colour |
| 染まる | そまる (somaru) | to be dyed |

## Don't confuse it with

[枠](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/frame/)

## More in the “Cloth & clothing 1” set

[織](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/weave/) · [維](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/fibre/) · [染](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/dye/) · [綱](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/thick-rope/) · [錦](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/brocade/) · [繊](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/fine-fibre/) · [冠](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/crown/) · [粧](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/makeup/) · [履](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/wear-on-the-feet/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/dye/. Last updated 2026-11-01.