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Kanji Detail for 堅 - "hard, firm"

堅

  • Meaning

    堅 means "hard, firm." Also associated with to harden.

    1. Hard - Strong; firm; solid.

    2. To harden - To make firm; to strengthen.

  • Words using 堅

    • 中堅 ちゅうけん Listen nucleus; backbone; mainstay
    • 堅持 けんじ Listen adhering to (a view, policy, etc.); sticking to; holding fast to
    • 堅調 けんちょう Listen firm (market); bullish; strong (sales, economy, etc.)
    • 堅実 けんじつ Listen steady; sound; stable
    • 手堅い てがたい Listen sound; sure; safe

  • Four-character idioms with 堅

    • 堅塞固塁 けんさいこるい Listen impregnable fortress; heavily guarded fort
    • 堅忍不抜 けんにんふばつ Listen indomitable perseverance; invincible fortitude
    • 堅牢堅固 けんろうけんご Listen firm and solid; stout and durable
    • 堅白同異 けんぱくどうい Listen sophism; sophistry; quibbling
    • 志操堅固 しそうけんご Listen being faithful to one's principles; being of firm purpose and deep commitment; constancy
    • 意志堅固 いしけんご Listen strong determination; strong-willed; having strong will power

  • Tattoo check: 堅

    • Verified meaning: hard, firm
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read かた, かたし, かつし, けん)
    • Also carries these associations: to harden

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of 堅

    Given names 堅(かつし)Listen 堅(けん)Listen 堅(たけし)Listen 堅(つよし)Listen

    Surnames 堅(かた)Listen 堅(かたし)Listen 堅(けんじ)Listen 堅(けんしょう)Listen 堅(けんそう)Listen 堅(じぇん)Listen 堅(せいじ)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    strict; hard; solid; tough; tight; reliable

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    hard, strong, firm; resolute

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    strong; solid; firm; unyielding; resolute

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    hard, strong; firm, resolute

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    Solid. Meaning not easily broken or changed.

  • Onyomi

    tip

    ken(ケン) ケン

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    gata.i(がた-い) がた-い

    kata.i(かた-い) かた-い

  • Strokes

    tip

    12 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    土 (tsuchi・tsuchihen・dohen)

  • Related Keywords

    hard to harden firm resilient stable strong solid durable rigid tough steadfast resolute robust sturdy inflexible immovable fortitude compact iron steel stone rock

Sentences including 堅

  • He is a tight-lipped man.

  • He is quite a clever man.

  • He is very formal with us.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 土 (tsuchi・tsuchihen・dohen)

See all kanji with this radical →

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