列 means “row, line”

れつ · retsu

Also: file, rank, tier

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

レツ, レ

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 3 · 6 strokes

The story

A knife (刂) beside 歹, bare bones: picture cuts laid out in a tidy row. 列 is a line: the 行列 outside a famous ramen shop, the 列車 that pulls in on time, and 列に並ぶ, waiting your turn in line.

Used in 行列 (gyouretsu, queue), 列車 (ressha, train), and 一列 (ichiretsu, a single row)

More from How Much, How Many

• 幾 how many
• 全 all
• 最 most
• 加 add
• 増 increase
• 両 both
• 割 split
• 種 seed
• 程 extent
• 積 pile up
• 単 single
• 類 kind

Learn 列 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.