This site will be taken down March 31st, 2026.

This was not an easy decision to make. For the last couple years, I have been struggling to find motivation for this site and to keep up with basic maintenance and security updates. With the rise of AI and more sophisticated tools, the usefulness of sites like this is questionable and traffic has nose-dived. I just don't have it in me to keep doing this. Thank you all for 10 years of support!

Zach

Readings

Kana: ケン、かた.い、-がた.い
Romaji: ken, kata.i, -gata.i
Kana
Romaji

Name Reading

Kana: きん
Romaji: kin
Kana
Romaji

Meanings

strict, hard, solid, tough, tight, reliable

Stroke Diagram

123456789101112

Kanji Info

Stroke Count:  12
Radical Number:  32
Frequency:  1049
Grade:  8
Skip Pattern:  2-9-3
Korean Reading:  gyeon
Chinese Reading:  jian1
Unicode:  5805
JIS:  3778

Indexes

Halpern Index: 2823
Nelson Index: 1096
New Nelson Index: 1038
Spahn Hadamitzky Index: 3b9.13
Four Corner Index: 7710.4
Guide to Remembering Index: 1217
Gakken Index: 914
Japanese Names Index: 1796
Daikanwanjiten Index: 5210
Daikanwanjiten Index and Page: 3.0204
Remembering the kanji Index: 853
Kanji Flashcards Index: 1155
Kodansha Compact Index: 356
Kanji in Context Index: 1228
1999 Kanji Learners Index: 1805
2013 Kanji Learners Index: 2457
French Remembering the Kanji Index: 861
Remembering the Kanji 6th Index: 917
Essential Kanji Index: 995
Kodansha Kanji Index: 3502
Roo 2001 Kanji Index: 3472
Tuttle Kanji Cards Index: 1513

Words

(けん)
strength; solidity; firmness; armour; armor
硬い (かたい)
hard; solid; tough; stiff; tight; wooden; unpolished (e.g. writing); strong; firm (not viscous or easily moved); safe; steady; honest; steadfast; obstinate; stubborn; bookish; formal; stuffy
堅固 (けんご)
solid; strong; firm
堅持 (けんじ)
holding on to; sticking to
義理堅い (ぎりがたい)
possessed of a strong sense of duty
中堅 (ちゅうけん)
main body (of troops); nucleus; backbone; mainstay; key figure; center field; centre field; center fielder; centre fielder; athlete competing in the middle-number match in a team competition, i.e. second in 3-on-3, third in 5-on-5 (kendo, judo, etc.)
堅実 (けんじつ)
steady; sound; reliable; solid
堅牢 (けんろう)
solid
堅物 (かたぶつ)
straight-laced or stubborn person
堅塁 (けんるい)
stronghold
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