堅

strict, hard

JLPT N1 12 strokes

Kun'yomi: かた.い・-がた.い
On'yomi: ケン
Radical: 土 · earth (earth, soil, ground)

堅 means "strict, hard". It is a JLPT N1 kanji written in 12 strokes. It is read かた.い・-がた.い in native Japanese words (kun'yomi) and ケン in compounds (on'yomi). It is taught beyond elementary school (junior high and up).

堅 in example sentences

口くちは堅かたい？

Kuchi wa katai?

Are you good at keeping secrets?
トムは口くちが堅かたい。

Tomu wa kuchi ga katai.

Tom can keep a secret.
彼女かのじょは口くちが堅かたい方ほうだ。

Kanojo wa kuchi ga katai hou da.

She keeps secrets.

Example sentences from the Tatoeba Project, licensed CC-BY 2.0 FR.

Stroke order & writing

Want more? Practice writing from memory. Stroke-order and animation sources are on our credits page.

More 土 (earth) kanji

Common questions

What does the kanji 堅 mean?: 堅 means "strict, hard". It is a JLPT N1 kanji.
How many strokes does 堅 have?: 堅 is written in 12 strokes.
How is 堅 read?: It is read かた.い・-がた.い in native Japanese words (kun'yomi) and ケン in compounds (on'yomi).
What JLPT level is 堅?: 堅 is a JLPT N1 kanji.

Explore on the kanji map → Practice kanji