種 means “seed, kind”

たね · tane

Also: species, class, variety

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

たね

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

シュ

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 4 · 14 strokes

The story

Grain (禾) at its heaviest (重): picture the plumpest kernels kept back as next year's seed. 種 is a seed, and a kind: 種類 is type, and ネタ, a sushi topping, is たね said backwards.

Used in 種 (tane, seed), 種類 (shurui, type/kind), and 品種 (hinshu, variety/breed)

More from How Much, How Many

• 程 extent
• 積 pile up
• 単 single
• 類 kind
• 余 surplus
• 等 equal
• 列 row
• 幾 how many
• 全 all
• 最 most
• 加 add
• 増 increase

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