剣 — “Sabre / Sword / Blade / Clock Hand” in Japanese

Master (高手)けん, つるぎ

Radical ⼑ · radical 18 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Sabre / Sword / Blade / Clock Hand” in Japanese is 剣, read ken, tsurugi (けん, つるぎ). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 剣道 (kendo).

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What does 剣 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	剣
Meaning	Sabre / Sword / Blade / Clock Hand
Readings	けん, つるぎ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	剣道 (kendo)

How to read 剣

剣 is read ken (けん) or tsurugi (つるぎ) depending on the word.

Words with 剣

剣道

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Kanji read the same way as 剣

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28