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Kanji Detail for 賢 - "wise, sage"

賢

  • Meaning

    賢 means "wise, sage." Also associated with superior.

    1. Wise - Clever; intelligent; having excellent abilities.

    2. Sage - A wise person; a person of outstanding virtue.

    3. Superior - Excellent; outstanding.

    4. To respect - To honor; to revere as a sage.

    5. To labor - To work hard; to make effort.

    6. Honorific - Added to show respect for the other person.

  • Words using 賢

    • 普賢 ふげん Listen Samantabhadra (bodhisattva); Universal Compassion
    • 賢人 けんじん Listen wise person; virtuous person; sage
    • 賢明 けんめい Listen wise; sensible; well-advised
    • 悪賢い わるがしこい Listen cunning; crafty; wily

  • Four-character idioms with 賢

    • 良妻賢母 りょうさいけんぼ Listen good wife and wise mother
    • 賢良方正 けんりょうほうせい Listen wise and virtuous; good and able men

  • Origin of 賢

    臣, the watchful minister's eye, 又, the hand, and 貝, shell-money: the steward whose eye and hand keep the treasure. Wisdom as trusted competence.

    How to remember it: The sharp-eyed 臣 hand 又 guarding the treasure 貝 — the one you trust with everything: wise.

    Sources: en.wiktionary.org · mojinavi.com

  • Tattoo check: 賢

    • Verified meaning: wise, sage
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read かしこ, かた, けん, けんじ)
    • Also carries these associations: superior

    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 賢

    Given names 賢(かしこ)Listen 賢(かた)Listen 賢(けん)Listen 賢(さかし)Listen 賢(さと)Listen 賢(さとし)Listen 賢(さとる)Listen 賢(たかし)Listen

    Surnames 賢(けんじ)Listen 賢(けんしょう)Listen 賢(けんそう)Listen 賢(すぐる)Listen

  • Compare with other kanji that mean the same thing:

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    intelligent; wise; wisdom; cleverness

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    virtuous, worthy, good; able

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    worthy or virtuous person; honorific used for a person of the same or a younger generation

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    virtuous, worthy; good, able

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

    One whose virtue, conduct, and ability exceed others is called 賢. Such as 聖賢 (sages and worthies), 高賢 (eminent worthy). | To consider good. "Analects" says "Esteem the worthy and change one's countenance." | To excel. When something is better than another, it is called 賢.

  • Onyomi

    tip

    ken(ケン) ケン

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    kashiko.i(かしこ-い) かしこ-い

  • Strokes

    tip

    16 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    貝 (kai・kaihen・kogai)

  • Related Keywords

    wise sage superior admirable hardworking prudent respectful talented intelligent wisdom astute brilliant discerning knowledgeable learned perceptive shrewd smart sagacious

Sentences including 賢

  • She is very beautiful , and what is more , very wise.

  • Let's make use of our time wisely.

  • No man is wise at all times.

  • He looks like a clever boy.

  • He is a man of wisdom.

  • She is not only honest , but also wise.

  • I felt that the plan was unwise.

  • She is a most wise mother.

  • The old man looked wise.

  • She is very wise.

More kanji with the radical 貝 (kai・kaihen・kogai)

See all kanji with this radical →

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