Word
種類
Meaning in Englishkind, type, variety
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
種類 means a category of things that share a set of distinguishing features. It denotes a classification or grouping within a larger whole and is used when discussing options, varieties, or kinds of something in general.
Main meanings
- General sense: a category or grouping by shared features within a larger set.
- Nuance: emphasizes variety across options rather than a single item.
- Common expressions: 種類が多い, 種類別
How to use it
Used as a noun to denote a category or class; in formal writing it appears in compounds like 種類の〜 to describe a type within a set, and in everyday speech it often follows or precedes modifiers; typical patterns include 種類が多い, いろいろな種類, 種類別.
Variants and close terms
- 類型 (ruikei) – synonym
- 種別 (shubetsu) – related term
- カテゴリ (kategorī) – loanword synonym
Composition
- 種: seed, kind; contributes to the sense of 'kind' or 'type'.
- 類: class, category; adds notion of grouping by similarity.
- Overall: a compound noun meaning category or type, formed by combining 'kind' and 'class'.
Word class
Noun (名詞)