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Kanji for Courage

The kanji most commonly used for "Courage" are 勇、胆.

Kanji that mean Courage

  • brave, valor

    Also associated with strong.

    Onyomi: yuu Kunyomi: isa.mu 9 strokes Jōyō

  • gallbladder, courage, nerve

    Onyomi: tan Kunyomi: kimo 9 strokes Jōyō

勇 is courage in the plain sense: bravery, valour, the willingness to act. It is the character in 勇気 (courage) and 勇敢 (brave), and it is common in given names such as Isamu and Yū.

敢 is the daring edge of courage — venturing, presuming to act despite risk. 胆 is literally the gallbladder, which Japanese treats as the seat of nerve, giving 大胆 (bold) and 胆力 (nerve, pluck).

Beware the near-misses. 怯 and 臆 look like they belong to this family and do not: both mean timid or cowardly, the opposite of what you want.

Before you use Courage kanji

勇 is the character for courage and is safe to use. Do not substitute 怯 or 臆 — they appear in dictionary lists near "courage" only because their definitions contain the phrase "lacking courage", and both mean cowardly.

Other meanings to explore

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