Leading Seaman is a junior non-commissioned rank or rate in navies, particularly those of the Commonwealth. When it is used by NATO nations, Leading Seaman has the rank code of OR-4. It is often equivalent to the army and air force rank of corporal and some navies use Corporal rather than Leading Seaman.
The rank is used in the navies of Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Finland, Ghana, India, Ireland, Namibia, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.
The badge in the Royal Australian Navy is the fouled anchor over the word "Australia", worn on the shoulders, or the fouled anchor worn on the left sleeve, depending on what uniform is worn at the time. It is senior to able seaman but junior to petty officer. Leading seaman or leading hand, which it is also known as, is the equivalent of corporal in the Royal Australian Air Force and the Australian Army. Leading seamen are addressed as "leader", and informally known as "killicks" from the which is the symbol of their rank.
In the Royal Canadian Navy, leading seaman (LS) is senior to the rank of able seaman, and junior to master seaman (which is actually an appointment of leading seaman). Its Army and Air Force equivalent is corporal and it is part of the cadre of junior non-commissioned officers.