The easiest and hardest lines in HelloSubway, by the numbers
A short line in Tokyo takes 160 keystrokes. The longest in New York takes more than 800. Here is how the ratings are worked out and where to start.
October 1, 2026 · 3 min read
Every line in the game has a difficulty from 1 to 7. It is not a judgment call. We take every station on the line, once, and count the keystrokes needed to type its name in the language you type in that city. The total is the line's keystroke count, and the level comes from that total on a scale where each step is about thirty percent harder than the last.
Three details matter when you compare numbers. Korean names are counted in jamo, so a short name like 동두천 is eight keys, and Seoul has its own scale because Korean names are short. New York and London are counted in letters. Tokyo is the roughest: the data holds the kanji but not the readings, so we count the Latin letters of the romaji name and add one per station for the conversion step. Treat the Tokyo figures as estimates.
Seoul
The easiest line is the Sillim Line: 11 stations, 106 keystrokes, level 1. The Sinbundang Line (16 stations, 121) and the Ui-Sinseol Line (13 stations, 127) follow. At the other end are the Suin-Bundang Line with 63 stations and 422 keystrokes, Line 7 with 51 stations and 409, and Line 1 with 62 stations and 403, all level 6. None of Seoul's lines reaches level 7, because the scale is built around names that are short to begin with.
New York
New York has no easy line by our measure. The easiest, the G, has 21 stations and 371 keystrokes, level 4, followed by the L (24 stations, 389) and the E (20 stations, 426). The hardest are the 2 train with 49 stations and 810 keystrokes, the F with 45 and 786, and the R with 45 and 728, all level 7. The 2 takes more than twice as many keystrokes as the G.
London
The Victoria line is the gentlest, with 16 stations and 198 keystrokes, level 2. Next come the Metropolitan line (23 stations, 288) and the Jubilee line (27 stations, 297). The hardest are the Piccadilly line (38 stations, 490), the District line (43 stations, 488) and the Circle line (35 stations, 443), all level 5. The Victoria line's 198 keystrokes are nearly half the G train's 371, which says something about how much longer New York names are.
Tokyo
The Hanzomon Line is the lightest in the game: 14 stations, about 160 keystrokes, level 1. The Ginza Line (19 stations, 194) and the Namboku Line (19 stations, 202) are close behind. The hardest line is the Oedo Line with 38 stations and about 478 keystrokes, level 5. Next to the 2 train in New York at 810, the Hanzomon Line is about five times lighter, though the two numbers are counted differently.
Where to start
Start with whichever line has the lowest keystroke count in the city you want to learn. That is the Sillim Line in Seoul, the G train in New York, the Victoria line in London and the Hanzomon Line in Tokyo. When a line stops feeling like work, go up one level. The practice routine explains how.
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