剣
剣 — Sabre
sabre, sword, blade, clock hand
On’yomiケン (ken)
Kun’yomiつるぎ (tsurugi)
Stroke order (10 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 剣
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 剣 | けん ken | sword (esp. a large, double-edged one); blade; bayonet |
| 剣道 | けんどう kendou | kendo; Japanese martial art using bamboo swords |
| 剣士 | けんし kenshi | swordsman; swordswoman; fencer |
| 真剣 | しんけん shinken | serious; earnest; real sword (as opposed to a wooden practice weapon) |
| 刀剣 | とうけん touken | sword; dagger; knife |
| 銃剣 | じゅうけん juuken | bayonet; guns and swords |
Study notes
剣 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 10 strokes. It is taught at secondary-school level in Japan. Ranked #1305 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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