# 鉛 — Lead

Frequency rank 1512 / 2,608 in published Japanese.

Rarer in this ranking, but still part of the 2,608-character published set.

More common than 拝 (Worship), less common than 蹴 (Kick).

- On’yomi: えん
- Kun’yomi: なまり
- Radical: 金 Gold (Kangxi 167)
- Frequency path: Level XII of XX

On the left, gold is being molded around a mouth-shaped opening with a stick poking through -- this is how soft lead metal is shaped.

In words:

- 鉛筆 えんぴつ — pencil
- 鉛 なまり — lead (the metal)

[Study 鉛](https://app.kanjidrift.com/study?kanji=%E9%89%9B)

[← Rank 1511: 蹴 (Kick)](https://kanjidrift.com/frequency/蹴.md) · [Rank 1513: 拝 (Worship) →](https://kanjidrift.com/frequency/拝.md)

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