漢字Kanji · in Nature & Elements
堅: strict, hard
Also: solid, tough, tight, reliable
JLPT N112 strokesSecondary schoolYour ink: 白 Not met
- 臤(sound)
- 土earth(meaning)
土 carries the meaning · 臤 gives the sound
12 strokes
Three readings, and the words that use each
ケンken · on'yomi · in compounds
- 堅実なけんじつなreliable, solid
- 堅固なけんごなsolid, firm
- 中堅ちゅうけんbackbone, mainstay, center
かたいkatai · kun'yomi · on its own
- 堅いかたいfirm, hard, formal (writing)
- 堅苦しいかたくるしいstiff (mannered)
- 堅物かたぶつoverly serious person
-がたい-gatai · kun'yomi
- 手堅いてがたいsecure [adj.]
Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.
成り立ち
Where it comes from
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“Imagine a cross planted firmly in the ground—that's 土! It shows a stake or a seedling marking the earth, reminding us of farming, construction, and the solid foundation upon which we build our lives and cities.”
繋がり
Connections
Ink shades, lightest to darkest: 白 Not met, 淡 Met, 中 Learning, 濃 Familiar, 印 Mastered
Easy to confuse
The difference, side by side堅 strict · 臤 + 土
vs腎 kidney · 臣 + 又 + 月In ChineseSimplified 坚 · traditional, as in Japanese · jiān
Japan keeps the traditional form 堅; mainland China simplifies it to 坚.
- Simplified
- 坚 mainland China, Singapore
- Traditional
- 堅 Taiwan, Hong Kong
Pinyin jiān most common reading
Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.
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