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、けわ.しい
Romaji: ken, kewa.shii
Kana
Romaji

Meanings

precipitous, inaccessible place, impregnable position, steep place, sharp eyes

Stroke Diagram

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Kanji Info

Stroke Count:  11
Radical Number:  170
Frequency:  707
Grade:  5
Skip Pattern:  1-3-8
Korean Reading:  heom
Chinese Reading:  xian3
Unicode:  967a
JIS:  3831

Indexes

Halpern Index: 542
Nelson Index: 5000
New Nelson Index: 6456
Spahn Hadamitzky Index: 2d8.8
Four Corner Index: 7823.6
Guide to Remembering Index: 662
Gakken Index: 616
Japanese Names Index: 1308
Daikanwanjiten Index: 41721P
Daikanwanjiten Index and Page: 11.0926
Remembering the kanji Index: 1672
Kanji Flashcards Index: 988
Kodansha Compact Index: 736
Read Writing Kanji Third Index: 689
Kanji in Context Index: 790
1999 Kanji Learners Index: 398
2013 Kanji Learners Index: 495
French Remembering the Kanji Index: 1688
Remembering the Kanji 6th Index: 1802
Essential Kanji Index: 356
Kodansha Kanji Index: 658
Roo 2001 Kanji Index: 3663
Read Writing the Kanji Index: 770
Tuttle Kanji Cards Index: 731

Words

(けん)
steepness; steep place; harsh (look); sharp (tongue)
保険 (ほけん)
insurance; guarantee
冒険 (ぼうけん)
risk; venture; adventure
険悪 (けんあく)
dangerous; serious; gloomy; perilous; threatening; stormy
社会保険庁 (しゃかいほけんちょう)
Social Insurance Agency
嵯峨 (さが)
precipitous
危険 (きけん)
danger; peril; hazard; risk
険しい (けわしい)
precipitous; rugged; inaccessible; impregnable; steep; grim; severe; stern
探検 (たんけん)
exploration; expedition
保険を掛ける (ほけんをかける)
to insure (something)
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