# 鉄 — Iron

Frequency rank 689 / 2,608 in published Japanese.

Mid-frequency: not on every page, but regular in books and magazines.

More common than 算 (Calculate), less common than 余 (Surplus).

- On’yomi: てつ
- Kun’yomi: —
- Radical: 金 Gold (Kangxi 167)
- Frequency path: Level VI of XX

Gold (金) has a fault (失) — the metal is flawed and impure; strip away the precious parts and you get raw iron.

In words:

- 鉄 てつ — iron
- 鉄道 てつどう — railroad
- 鉄砲 てっぽう — gun

[Study 鉄](https://app.kanjidrift.com/study?kanji=%E9%89%84)

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