group-level written forms
Sei
セイ
Given-name classification varies across source records.
Extended source depth
This reading group has a comparatively broad dictionary footprint across source-recorded spellings or records. The counts describe corpus coverage, not real-world popularity.
records contributing to this reading group
based only on the imported source footprint
How to read Sei
The kana reading is source-recorded. Romanization and mora segmentation are deterministic reading aids generated from that kana; pitch accent is not inferred.
Normalized to hiragana for comparison.
The same reading converted to katakana.
Macron-style display. Vowel-sequence form: Sei. Personal spelling and true vowel boundaries can differ.
2 morae in this reading. Small ゃ/ゅ/ょ-type kana join the preceding mora.
Audio note: the play button uses Japanese text-to-speech provided by the visitor’s browser/device. It is a convenience preview, not a recorded native-speaker pronunciation or pitch-accent authority.
What can Sei mean?
A Japanese name can be written in more than one way, and its meaning can change with the kanji used. Rather than assigning one English meaning to “Sei”, this page explains each recorded spelling separately.
character meanings available
no kanji meaning attached
based on the exact written form
セイ
This spelling is written only in kana. Because it contains no kanji, there is no kanji meaning to interpret here. The kana record the name’s sound; any personal or cultural meaning would depend on context not supplied by the dictionary.
世
These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.
世依
These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.
世唯
These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.
勢
These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.
勢井
These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.
声
These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.
征
These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.
惺
These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.
成
These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.
政
These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.
整
These are dictionary meanings for the kanji used in this spelling. Together they can suggest associations, but they do not establish one fixed English translation or a particular person’s naming intent.
Showing meaning context for the first 12 distinct written forms out of 38. The recorded-spellings section below retains the wider source set.
How to read these meanings
The English words shown here are dictionary meanings of individual kanji. They help explain what a spelling can suggest, but they are not a guaranteed translation of the full name and do not establish why a particular person was given that name.
How Sei is represented
These counts describe records in the imported name corpus. They are not a ranking of how popular a spelling is among people in Japan.
せい · セイ
among the forms analyzed on this page
in the primary dictionary reading
small ゃ/ゅ/ょ-type kana combine with the preceding mora
recorded spelling
recorded spellings
recorded spellings
How this reading is classified in the source corpus
This separates dictionary classification from popularity. The same exact kana reading can be recorded as a given name, a surname, or both, and given-name records can carry male, female or unspecified source labels.
せい in the imported JMnedict corpus
39 source spelling/reading rows
16 source spelling/reading rows
row counts carrying each JMnedict source label
| Exact reading | Given-name evidence | Given-name labels | Surname evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| せいSei | 3939 source rows | female 23 · unspecified 16source rows · distinct forms: female 23 · unspecified 16 | 1616 source rows |
| せいSei | 00 source rows | —source rows · distinct forms: — | 00 source rows |
Classification boundary: male/female/unspecified are labels attached to imported JMnedict name records. They are not population shares, probabilities, identity claims, or evidence that a spelling is currently common in Japan. A source row can also be repeated across different written forms, so row counts and distinct-writing counts are shown separately.
Source-supplied text attached to Sei records
JMnedict can attach trans_det text to a name-classification block. This may be a Latin spelling, label or descriptor. It is shown only when it adds information beyond this site’s generated romanization.
| Written form | Source reading | JMnedict source text |
|---|---|---|
| セイ | せい | Say |
| セイ | せい | See |
Meaning boundary: this is text supplied by JMnedict for the associated name-classification block. It is not an inferred kanji meaning, a translation of the written characters as a whole, proof of a person’s preferred Latin spelling, or evidence of popularity.
38 source-text items were omitted because they are equivalent to the generated romanization and would add no distinct information.
Corpus structure behind Sei
This section summarizes the exact source-recorded forms loaded for this reading group. Stroke and character-position statistics are descriptive corpus properties, not popularity or style scores.
5–25 strokes observed span
among forms with complete KANJIDIC2 stroke data
all component kanji loaded as jōyō/jinmeiyō classes
contains at least one character outside that loaded classification
| Reading | Romanization | Morae | Forms |
|---|---|---|---|
| せい | Sei | 2 | 38 |
Can the same writing be read another way?
26 of 38 displayed written forms have more than one given-name reading somewhere in the active JMnedict corpus. This is dictionary-record ambiguity, not a prediction of how a particular person reads the name.
distinct spellings displayed on this page
exact written forms with 2+ source readings
within this active given-name corpus
distinct kana readings for one displayed writing
A reading shown without a link is still source-recorded, but its destination group does not yet meet the reference-depth standard used for the main library. Limited records are not promoted merely to create extra internal links.
How recurring characters function across Sei spellings
Position counts are calculated only from the distinct written forms analyzed for this page. KANJIDIC2 nanori are character-level name-reading references; they are not used here to decompose or assert the reading of a specific multi-kanji name.
| Kanji | Character glosses | Forms | First | Final | Internal | Solo | Strokes | KANJIDIC2 nanori | Loaded class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 衣 | garment, clothes, dressing | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 4 |
| 世 | generation, world, society | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | とし, ゆ, ゆき | Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 3 |
| 聖 | holy, saint, sage | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | きよ, さと, さとし, せ +5 | Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 6 |
| 勢 | forces, energy, military strength | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | せ | Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 5 |
| 星 | star, spot, dot | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | — | Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 2 |
| 晴 | clear up | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | はる, はれ | Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 2 |
| 清 | pure, purify, cleanse | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | あき, さや, し, すが +3 | Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 4 |
| 生 | life, genuine, birth | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | あさ, いき, いく, いけ +21 | Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 1 |
| 誠 | sincerity, admonish, warn | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | きよ, さと, しげ, とも +4 | Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 6 |
| 青 | blue, green | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | お | Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 1 |
| 依 | reliant, depend on, consequently | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | よ, より | Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 8 |
| 唯 | solely, only, merely | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ゆ | Jōyō · KANJIDIC grade 8 |
Counts describe this source-recorded spelling set, not population use. A repeated kanji can contribute to more than one position role across different spellings.
Move from a spelling to its readings, characters and literal sequence context
These relationships are exact and source-backed. Whole-name readings shown in each card come from JMnedict within the current name class; exact-writing search can surface records from other name classes. Character links open KANJIDIC2-backed kanji pages. Sequence context means the same kanji string occurs contiguously in another recorded written form—it does not prove shared origin or meaning.
セイ
世
世依
The exact sequence 世依 appears contiguously inside these other source-recorded forms.
世唯
勢
勢井
The exact sequence 勢井 appears contiguously inside these other source-recorded forms.
声
征
惺
成
Showing research maps for the first 10 distinct written forms out of 38. Every detailed spelling card below still links to exact-writing search and its component kanji.
Kanji recurring across Sei spellings
Only characters appearing in at least two distinct analyzed spellings are shown here. Frequency describes this source-recorded spelling set, not real-world baby-name popularity.
Explore written forms of Sei
38 source-recorded forms use the primary source reading せい. Other source readings can appear in this romanized group when the imported records converge on the same index form. Use Compare to inspect exact spellings side by side.
セイ
セイ · Sei
This written form uses kana rather than kanji, so there are no character-level kanji glosses to combine.
世
せい · Sei
世依
せい · Sei
世唯
せい · Sei
勢
せい · Sei
勢井
せい · Sei
声
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
征
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
惺
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
成
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
政
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
整
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
斉
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
旌
せい · Sei
星
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
星衣
せい · Sei
晴
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
晴衣
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
正
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
清
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
清衣
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
済
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
瀬衣
せい · Sei
生
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
盛
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
省
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
精
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
聖
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
聖恵
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
聖衣
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
菁
せい · Sei
誓
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
誠
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
誠生
せい · Sei
青
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
青威
せい · Sei
靖
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
静
せい · Sei
Exact written-form relationship inside the imported given-name corpus.
Compare Sei forms side by side
Each exact written spelling appears once in this table even when JMnedict records more than one reading for that writing. Stroke totals and character glosses come from KANJIDIC2 when all component kanji are available.
| Spelling | One source reading | Character-level glosses | Total strokes | Loaded character class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| セイ | セイ | Kana-only spelling | — | Kana spelling |
| 世 | せい | 世 — generation, world | 5 | All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified |
| 世依 | せい | 世 — generation, world · 依 — reliant, depend on | 13 | All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified |
| 世唯 | せい | 世 — generation, world · 唯 — solely, only | 16 | All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified |
| 勢 | せい | 勢 — forces, energy | 13 | All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified |
| 勢井 | せい | 勢 — forces, energy · 井 — well, well crib | 17 | All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified |
| 声 | せい | 声 — voice | 7 | All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified |
| 征 | せい | 征 — subjugate, attack the rebellious | 8 | All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified |
| 惺 | せい | 惺 — realize | 12 | All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified |
| 成 | せい | 成 — turn into, become | 6 | All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified |
| 政 | せい | 政 — politics, government | 9 | All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified |
| 整 | せい | 整 — organize, arranging | 16 | All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified |
| 斉 | せい | 斉 — adjusted, alike | 8 | All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified |
| 旌 | せい | 旌 — flag, praise | 11 | Includes unclassified/outside loaded jōyō-jinmeiyō class |
| 星 | せい | 星 — star, spot | 9 | All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified |
| 星衣 | せい | 星 — star, spot · 衣 — garment, clothes | 15 | All kanji jōyō/jinmeiyō-classified |
The comparison table shows the first 16 distinct written forms; the detailed cards above show up to 80 spelling/reading records.
What does Sei mean?
There is not necessarily one fixed English meaning. The reading identifies the spoken name; different written forms can use different kanji. Character glosses describe individual kanji and should not be treated as proof of the intention behind a particular person’s name.
More names beginning with せい
Related by the opening kana of the dictionary reading. This is a deterministic browsing relationship, not a claim that the names share the same meaning.
Seiji
142 recorded spellings
Explore →Given name · male · limited referenceSeīchirō
104 recorded spellings
Explore →Given name · male · limited referenceSeigorō
98 recorded spellings
Explore →Given name · male · limited referenceSeinosuke
86 recorded spellings
Explore →Given name · female · limited referenceSeika
80 recorded spellings
Explore →Given name · female · limited referenceSeiko
79 recorded spellings
Explore →Given name · mixed records · limited referenceSeira
79 recorded spellings
Explore →Given name · mixed records · limited referenceSeiki
69 recorded spellings
Explore →Given name · male · limited referenceSeitarō
66 recorded spellings
Explore →Given name · male · limited referenceSeijirō
64 recorded spellings
Explore →Given name · female · limited referenceSeikō
64 recorded spellings
Explore →Given name · female · limited referenceSeishi
56 recorded spellings
Explore →Other names sharing kanji with Sei
These links are calculated from exact characters appearing in source-recorded spellings on this page. Sharing a kanji does not mean two names have the same reading, origin, gender or intended meaning.
Seiko
10 shared kanji · 38 matching source-recorded spellings
Inspect name →Given-name relationshipSeira
9 shared kanji · 62 matching source-recorded spellings
Inspect name →Given-name relationshipSeiji
9 shared kanji · 60 matching source-recorded spellings
Inspect name →Given-name relationshipKōsei
9 shared kanji · 47 matching source-recorded spellings
Inspect name →Given-name relationshipSeina
9 shared kanji · 36 matching source-recorded spellings
Inspect name →Given-name relationshipSeiki
9 shared kanji · 32 matching source-recorded spellings
Inspect name →Given-name relationshipSeizō
9 shared kanji · 16 matching source-recorded spellings
Inspect name →Given-name relationshipSeika
8 shared kanji · 53 matching source-recorded spellings
Inspect name →Given-name relationshipSeijirō
8 shared kanji · 25 matching source-recorded spellings
Inspect name →Given-name relationshipIssei
8 shared kanji · 11 matching source-recorded spellings
Inspect name →Given-name relationshipSena
7 shared kanji · 40 matching source-recorded spellings
Inspect name →Given-name relationshipSeīchirō
7 shared kanji · 38 matching source-recorded spellings
Inspect name →What each source establishes
JMnedict establishes recorded written forms, readings and name classifications; where safely associated, this page can also show JMnedict-supplied trans_det source text without treating it as a whole-name meaning. KANJIDIC2 supplies character readings, nanori, stroke counts, grade classes and English character glosses. The Ministry of Justice remains the official reference for Japanese child-name character rules. The Agency for Cultural Affairs romanization guidance is the reference for generated Latin-script reading aids.
The spelling-frequency and structural counts on this page are calculated from imported JMnedict records. They are corpus counts, not population-frequency claims. KANJIDIC2 supplies the kanji metadata used in character and stroke comparisons.
Review sources →